We are all connected.
Allow those words sink in for just a moment. Sit with them. Let the truth permeate past the noise of the outside world. Let the power of these words drip into the crevices of spirit that has been suffering from the separation of source. These words, seemingly so simple and benign are the pure foundation of who we are.
We are all connected.
On a very basic level, we have more similarities than differences. We all suffer grief and loss. We experience love and joy. We feel the intense adrenaline push of fear. We have bones and blood, smiles and goosebumps. We share a similar construction and design, including a variety of flaws that sometimes require care and repair.
Deeper than our inherited traits, we share so much more. We are passengers on this spinning sphere together and what happens to one of us can impact many more. Tidal waves of change and industry have ripple effects that impact the shoreline of a distant island. The actions of one thief can impact an entire community. Cause and effect, consequences and chance. We are all subject to these laws. We are all subject to forces of nature. We are all subject to the balance of costs and benefits for the choices we make in our lives.
This at its core is humanity. We are too aware of our flaws and fragility and too dismissive of our beauty and strength. We have so much in common, so universal an experience that it would seem intuitive and natural to believe that we are all connected. But we don’t. Not really, because we’ve been told our entire lives how utterly alone we are and should be.
We spend a lifetime building up walls to contain and assuage our fears. Reactions to the things that have hurt us, scared us, made us feel unsafe. Walls to contain other people. To keep them at a safe distance. We’ve convinced ourselves that we will never be enough to withstand the world, so we block it away to keep ourselves safe from harm. And yet, it is in that sense of vulnerability that we find even more threads of commonality.
We are all connected.
That message has been playing over and over again in my life for months now. A message so full of assurance and hope and yet feels so unattainably distant. I have been resistant to writing about it because it felt too big to comprehend.
Each time I write here, I connect with someone, hopefully, someone who resonates with the words and stories I share. That reader then takes those words, contemplates them, even momentarily and these ideas settle somewhere into their field of awareness. Something of me has contributed to something of them, even for a moment. And it matters because:
We are all connected.
Each interaction, each truth we tell, each smile we give, each moment we share we have an opportunity to connect with others. To launch a tiny golden thread of connection. Even seemingly insignificant moments can leave a lasting impression on the soul. We carry that shared moment with us, it will always be a part of our story and of theirs. We carry each others’ stories and truth.
Likewise, each negative interaction, each judgment, criticism, and trauma likewise place obstacles into that person’s world and in ours. None of us are perfect, but when we re-frame our experience to honor the connective ability we share with others in the world, the more we can understand that our actions, no matter how justified in our minds will impact others. And we don’t see that because we’ve grown to rely on our separateness to shield us from this vast level of awake and aware connection.
In mediation, we remove the barriers, the separateness within ourselves We can let go of the grudges and the hardships, even for a moment, allowing our consciousness to shift to a universal space of belonging. We are able to see past the barriers that separate us, that separate us from the unity of mind, body, and soul. We are able to see ourselves fully and completely and find deservingness and momentary acceptance of our own value. We are finally free to truly experience that one universal truth:
We are all connected
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Bio: Janet is a Colorado native, mother of two, mediator and compassionate attorney who loves laughter, bringing others joy, finding the miraculous in the ordinary corners of life and serving in humanity with dignity and care. She can be found at @SharpSweetBella on Twitter where she geeks out about the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, law, politics and pop culture.