Our deeply rooted belief in separation from others leads us to live in a state of almost constant inner isolation. We identify strongly with the details of our personal story, which exist mostly only in our minds, and are rooted in a “me” that is inherently separate from everybody else. But in truth our hearts are connected, our joy and sorrow are really one and the same, and if we can evolve beyond living from our minds to living from our hearts, then the illusory walls of separation can finally come down.
At some point in human evolution, the natural and healthy fear that plays an essential role in our physical survival became a powerful psychological force that drives and shapes our thinking; it took root in our sense of self and created psychological barriers between our self and others (even creating the deeply rooted belief in “self” and “other”). At its core, it’s a protective mechanism, but when it comes to connecting with our experience in an open, dynamic and wholesome way, this protection no longer serves us.
In any species’ evolution, when a particular adaptation has become a hindrance to its survival, then that species must evolve beyond that obsolete adaptation or it may not survive. Looking at the state of the world, we can see how this natural law is at work right now with our species. We must evolve beyond the fear-based mode of thinking and being, or the path we are on will lead to its obvious conclusion. We can approach this from a broad social perspective, but the thing is, what we see in society is actually an expression of the state of our own consciousness, and the change needs to happen here, inside each of us. The beautiful thing is, that this change is possible, and embracing it means living a more loving and connected life. For the world’s sake and for our own, we need to wake up from this fear-based belief in separation, and the answer lies in bringing down personal and interpersonal barriers with openness and receptivity; with love, compassion and gratitude.
So, consider that the notion you have of being separate from others might actually be a mind-made illusion. When we really examine the human experience, if oneness is the reality, then it should be obvious—and it is! The details of our personal stories may differ, and the way we express ourselves as individuals may seem unique in many ways, but the essential ground of our experiences is not only similar, it is exactly the same thing.
Are my joy and sorrow different, or separate, from yours? The degrees to which these things are experienced may differ, but is the essence of these any different? If two people share gratitude for each other, and a heartfelt smile arises between them, is the loving energy that arises fragmented, or is it really just one essence shared between two people? And though they may part and go their separate ways, does that love ever really differentiate into separate forms, or does it remain always what it is. The truth is that it always remains just what it is—one love, one joy. When we smile, we smile the same smile; when we cry, we cry the same tears. Even our loneliness is one and the same.
It’s not that other people’s joy or suffering evokes a separate, similar expression in ourselves, but that those moments of shared emotional resonance are actually an expression of the truth of our sameness, our oneness . If we move beyond relating to experiences of joy, love and sadness from the perspective of “me and mine”—which are actually just thoughts—and become more sensitive and receptive to these expressions in others, then we might gradually wake up to the fact that in reality there is only one joy, one love, and one sorrow; we might then begin to truly relate to others’ joy and sorrow as our own and see separation for the illusion that it is. As we explore the deeper implications of oneness, we might also come to see that we, as beings, are also all one. Separation exists only in our minds, and this is something that can be verified if we can closely examine what is real and what is a fabrication of the mind.
Of course, this goes against aeons of conditioning, and so it’s not something that needs to be seen or understood right away. And even if it is seen to one degree or another, we need to be loving and patient with ourselves if the old conditioning remains in one form or another. And this is very important—regardless of whether we see the truth of oneness, we can still open our hearts up to those who are receptive, kind and loving, and we can give others the gift of our own love, kindness and acceptance.
We need not struggle or strive to see oneness as some ultimate truth that we must realize. We can simply notice when we are connecting with others in resonant ways, and instead of seeing them as separate from us, we can notice how that connection itself is a transcendence of apparent surface differences. Underneath our personal idiosyncrasies, we are actually all the same, and emotional resonance between two or more people is a beautiful expression of this deeper truth. We all crave and celebrate love and happiness, and are all faced with the barriers to those things that come with this inherited sense of separation.
Notice those precious moments when you share a heartfelt smile with someone else; notice when you feel another person’s pain. These moments contain an amazing jewel of truth—underneath it all, beyond the mental chatter of the “me and mine” and the acquired personal stories, we are all the same, we are all one.
There is only one joy and one sorrow, because we all share one heart. It’s a heart that rejoices in love and contracts from suffering; it’s a heart that smiles and laughs in moments of connectedness, but also a heart that weeps and struggles in moments of loneliness and despair. It’s a heart that can be the source of unconditional love, but it can also lash out in unkind or even cruel ways when it is hurt. This is our collective and individual heart; it’s the heart of humanity and the heart of every human being. See it expressing itself here, in you, and see that the same heart is expressing itself in everyone else. See this fully and completely, and compassion, kindness and love will arise naturally from the wisdom of your liberated heart.
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All Roads Lead To Now 