We are All One

April 16, 2009

It hits me today as I am talking to a family member how nice it is to speak to someone who understands and is going through the same thing. Then, I thought about a lady I work with who probably has a very different way of looking at life than I do. It is so easy to feel connected to people when the commonalities are right on the surface and so difficult to feel connected to those who we disagree with.

And yet, my church teaches that we are all one, and I believe this is true. We come from the same source and are made up of the same recirculating energy. We share all the same experiences, thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

In Meditation class, I recall one lesson about happiness. We practiced feeling truly happy for another person. Later, we talked about how feeling happy-not hyper, but peacefully satisfied-is our birthright. I asked, if it is what we are born to do, why is it so difficult sometimes? The answer: we are always forgetting that we are all one and connected.

The next morning, when I went for my jog, I realized that indeed I had been separating myself from other people and this was what caused me pain. For example, I would see a fat man jogging by and get all judgemental, thinking, "Oh, I'm glad I'm not fat like that guy." Or, I would see a beautiful woman and think, "I wish I could be more like that woman." Either way, I ended up feeling worse for those thoughts. They are not true. The truth is, I am the fat man and I am the beautiful woman. We are all one.