We Are All Connected

My meditation teacher is always saying and reminding me that,

“There is only one thing, and we are all it.”

But what does that mean exactly? 

I am not a tree. 

I am not the animal that lives in a tree. 

I am not anything but me. 

In fact, science tells me that I am a unique combination of cells and DNA that no one else can replicate. How can I be what everyone else is?

This week, I think I realized what my meditation teacher is saying to me. WARNING: I go a little deep here…

Have you ever seen or studied a mandala? We often see them in yoga studios or other places where people may practice mindfulness or meditation. In fact, the logo for Calm Education is coincidentally a mandala. And, if you’ve ever looked at a dreamcatcher, you are looking at a mandala. Mandalas can serve as a guide for several practices, especially in Asian culture, including meditation. It helps guide one through the process of a state of suffering to a state of joy and happiness. Mandalas can also be a visual representation of the universe, where everyone and everything is connected at one point in the center.

Every year, my family takes a trip or two on our boat to one of my favorite places on Earth - Block Island. One place on the island that we like to visit is Coast Guard Beach. We go by dinghy, pull up on the beach, and watch the boats coming into the harbor. Swimming is fun there because the beach takes a deep plunge right off the edge into dark and refreshing water. We enjoy walking the beach all the way out to the point, hoping to find a hidden glass orb (a tradition on the island) or some seals swimming off shore. 

But I particularly enjoy the colorful rocks that can be found at this beach. As I walk, I can easily find rocks in all the colors and spectrums of the rainbow. In fact, a few years ago, my daughter and I spent some time creating a rock mandala on the beach with all the rainbow colored stones. That is one of my most favorite pieces of artwork I have ever created and I’m grateful I took a picture of it to keep forever.

Last week, my family visited Block Island. We walked the beach, and I collected a rock from each color in the rainbow and put them in my pocket. It was windy and chilly and my family didn’t want to stay long enough to recreate our rainbow mandala that we have made in the past. So I happily found 7 perfectly formed pebbles from all the hues in the rainbow and put them in my pocket. I even took a picture of my beautiful rocks sitting in the sand to help savor the gorgeous place in which I found these amazing rocks.

That is when the saying “There is only one thing and we are all it” popped into my head. I was looking at the pebbles resting in the sand and the thought occurred to me. I am forever connected to this beach. I am these rocks and they are me. I know that sounds a little nutty but think about it….

If there was no island, there would be no purpose for me to be sitting on that beach.

If I had no family, there would be no one to share this natural beauty with me.

If there was no beach, there would be no place for me to come back to year after year.

If there were no trees or plants to produce oxygen, what good would my lungs be?

Connections run right through everything I can think of! Who I am today is connected with my past. And what I’ll be tomorrow depends on my present!

In many ways, I have forgotten that I am just a piece of this planet we live on. I am realizing that there is no feeling of completion if there is no connection to one another, nature, ideas, feelings, and so much more. 

Human connection is so powerful! Having this energy exchange between people can be powerful enough to deepen the moment, inspire change, and build trust. Research and science tell us that social associations decrease anxiety and depression, help in regulating emotion, and lead to higher self-esteem. 

William James, philosopher and psychologist reminds us that, just like Block Island,

“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”

So what does that mean for me? What does that mean for our world and us as a species?

We need to stop living apart and separating ourselves from others just because our opinions, beliefs, and lifestyles differ….just because we speak a different language, study differing religions, and have different political views. Whether we like it or not, we are all connected, just like islands in the sea or the symbolism of the mandala.

Everyday, we run in our own hamster wheels, doing our own thing, for our own benefit, and losing sight of the fact that we are just one small part of a larger being. We need each other. Alone we are nothing.

So what does this realizaton mean for me now? I am making it a goal to make a connection everyday. Whether that is with nature, by taking a walk outside, enjoying the leaves falling from the trees and the waves lapping on shore. Or, whether that is reaching out to a friend I haven’t seen in a while and making time to chat or spend time together. 

I need connection. We need connection in order to remember that we are one small part of a larger being. And without each other, without a connection to nature and this Earth, we will not survive.

I invite you to think about the last time you really stopped and took a step off your hamster wheel to enjoy the beauty of nature. If you haven’t done it in a while, perhaps you can carve some time out in your day to do that now. But you really and truly need to slow your pace and find some quiet in order to do this task. What is the connection that you need in order to feel complete and how can you seek it?

Like the mandala teaches us, we are all connected at one central point, brought out as a guide to help us go from a place of suffering to one of joy and happiness. How great would the world be if we could all learn and live from this ancient symbol of the universe?