Ever Feel Like You’re Part of Something Bigger? You’re Right!

Have you ever had a sense of being part of something much bigger? An estimated 85% of westerners believe there is more to life than is immediately visible. Awareness of our interwoven nature is at the heart of many cultures, philosophies and spiritual traditions, yet in modern society we tend to live as if what we see on the surface is the beginning and end of everything. No wonder an estimated 67% are left wondering how to find more meaning and purpose in life!

In fact, it isn’t so difficult to prove that we are all connected in very concrete, tangible, and compelling ways. We are all one life! Consider the air you are breathing right now. Is there any way you could be separated from air? Is there any living organism that does not share the common abundance of air with you? We are all intimately connected through the air we breathe.

The same is true of water. Our bodies contain an estimated 60% water. Does any of that water belong to us? Can we hold on to it? Or is it in perpetual flow into our bodies through fluids and foods, circulating in our blood and tissues, then back out again and recycled! Even this body we think of as our own is really a flow of material that we share with each other, with other species, and with the environment.

Similarly, we could not exist without the sun; we are all warmed by the same sun, day and night, and couldn’t survive without that flow of warmth that we all share.

When a bee pollinates a flower, we all receive the benefits of that! Our whole ecosystem would collapse without it. There is, in fact, no real and solid way that we can separate ourselves from the bee, the air, the sun, or from whole of existence—to infinity. Let’s breathe with that for a moment or two!

When Connection Sparks Joy and Creativity

When do you feel most fulfilled? Is it when you are alone and doing something for yourself? Or is it when you were part of something bigger, acting as part of a group for a shared aim? Chances are, those joyful moments had a lot to do with connection.

And when do your best ideas come? Do they arrive after hours of overthinking and self-doubt. Or do the best ones show up as eureka moments when the mind is open and relaxed? I don’t think I have ever had a great idea when I have been trying to figure things out too hard–I’ve had some bad ideas that way! My best ideas always come when my heart and mind are wide open and there is space to allow new insights. I am not alone in this, Albert Einstein said he never came across any of his ideas through process of logical thinking.

One in Heart and Mind

In some cultures, the heart mind connection runs so deep they don’t even separate the heart and the mind conceptually. In China, the word for heart and the word for mind are the same word ‘xin’—this is similar in Sanskrit and several other languages. In the Tao Te Ching, Taoist master Lao Tzu said that his heart and mind could not be separated from yours and mine! This touches me deeply and I have come to see the truth of it. Thanks, Lao Tzu.

We know deep in our hearts that we are all connected in something much bigger, yet, at the same time, we crave a conscious feeling of connection. The wonderful thing is that the more deeply we look into the unified nature of all that is, the more profoundly we see it. And the more profoundly we see it, the more impact it has on the whole of our life! Nobody can tell us truthfully what that will look like, we have to find it for ourselves: the path unfolds differently for each of us–like spokes in a wheel all starting at different points and moving towards the center on our own trajectory. All I can say is that it is well worth opening to awareness of our indivisible, unified nature. This insight changes everything. Unlike spokes in a wheel, there is no end point to stop at, rather it is an ongoing process of seeing ever more deeply, then working with old habits that are not in harmony with our new insights.

One of the implications of this is the realization that what is truly good for you is good for me, too. And vice versa. Anything that appears to be in one person or groups interest, while harming another, is actually in nobody’s best interest. This is the basis of karma: being kind makes us happy and supports our sense of fulfillment and well being, while unkind acts may give some temporary sense of satisfaction but tend to leave a hole that can never be filled–and deepen the cracks is a society that has lost its direction.

Living in a Disconnected World

When we lose our a natural sense of interconnection, the inner critic is born and can be very vocal—always telling us we don’t measure up—as if there may be some benefit to cutting ourselves into pieces. Here’s the thing: that voice isn’t yours. It’s an echo of old stories, often from childhood, of separation, discrimination, and unworthiness. Stories that tumble down through generations, gathering speed and dirt along the way.

Modern society survives by pushing us even further toward disconnection. We’re encouraged to measure our worth by what we own, rather than what is in our heart. Advertisements constantly whisper (or shout), “You’re not enough—unless you buy this!” It is what keeps the money flowing in. And is rocket-fuel for the inner critic.

When someone lashes out at us it is because they have a merciless inner-critic saying similarly unkind things to themselves. They are revealing a lot about their inner struggles, what they say to themselves, and their sense of disconnection. It isn’t their fault! Inner critics are always fashioned on the way we have been spoken to, what we heard in childhood, and the relentless media drive to keep us feeling inferior so that we buy more stuff. None of us get to avoid such influences.

Of course, knowing this doesn’t mean we excuse wrongdoing—we are generating wisdom and compassion, not dumb docility—but this insight can greatly soften our response. Instead of taking everything personally, we begin to see it for what it is: an opportunity to meet disconnection with understanding. An opportunity to move beyond the illusion of separation so that we can see the immense truth of our existence–and what we can do to help heal our broken society.

The Gifts of Interconnection

A wonderful blessing that comes with insight into our true nature is greater peace of mind, taking things less personally, and empowerment to move through the challenges of life from the perspective of spacious loving awareness. Now, I’m not going to pretend that I don’t still have conditioned responses, those run deep! We have to be compassionate with ourselves and with each other. The difference is that once we see that we really are all drops in the infinite ocean of interconnection, we can step back, see the bigger picture, and regain equanimity sooner and more deeply. Each time we do this we reinforce our resilience, compassion, equanimity, and insight.

Now, here’s the exquisite bonus: every time we take care of ourselves in healthy, mindful ways, those ripples spread outward. Your self-care isn’t selfish—it’s a gift to the whole. When you’re grounded in loving awareness, you bring that energy into your family, your community, and beyond.

This is just the beginning of the journey into Oneness. There is a whole world of discovery ahead: a new and ineffably awe-inspiring world. Let’s meet there.

Author: Asha

Ⓒ Asha June 2024