the interconnectedness of life
I went to the movies this past weekend, the first time I’ve gone in several months. I went to see the very excellent movie Avatar, but I’m not really going to talk about the movie, but rather the knowledge that it reminded me of.
Where the movie takes place, life is interconnected and can interconnect not just spiritually, but physically. But while the movie is fictional, life here on earth is interconnected. I started thinking about it after the movie. Many, if not all, of the neo-pagan religions believe that all life connected in some way, and I believe this as well, though I’m still figuring out the implications of such a belief. If I admit to being connected to everyone in this world in some fashion, I can no longer reasonably hold onto the idea that I am alone in this world. Well, I know that I’m not on a spiritual level, but this would counter any argument that I am alone on a physical level as well. While I may not be near any other humans at any given time, I am not alone. I walk in a world of spirit as well, in a world where Great Spirit is everywhere.
From a practical standpoint, this requires a change in thinking in several regards. First is that regardless of how different and isolated I feel from people, I’m not. Perhaps an analogy would help. If you view humanity as as a sphere surrounding some invisible point, then I am simply one point on the surface of that sphere. That part of the sphere may be less crowded, but I am still part of it and still connected, though it may not be obvious how at first.
Another is that I am connected to all humanity, not just the ‘desirable’ elements. I am connected to the pimps, prostitutes, murderers, robbers, addicts, and other less desirable members of society as well. I can’t think of a better reason to practice Ho’oponopono than that, other than it is the right thing for me to do. I hope you will forgive me for not explaining the reasoning behind that, but rather trust that I know it is correct.
I think, perhaps for the first time, I feel in my heart and know in my head that I already know what I need to know in order to become the person I want to become. What remains is doing the things I need to do to get there. I accept the possibility I may not reach that in this lifetime, but it is better to try to reach my dreams and fall short in the attempt than to have never tried at all.