THE POWER OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS IN PRESENT TIMES
Volume 25

We are living in extraordinary times. Coronavirus is rapidly changing the landscape of human civilization. A crisis quite like this has never occurred before in our modern, global society. There is a great deal of uncertainty about how far the situation will turn out and how deeply it might affect human destiny. The very human feelings of isolation and loneliness due to social distancing have begun to feel overwhelming for many, so is the dread of falling sick or losing a loved one. The experience is new and disorienting. Life has been deceptively easy until now.

Never before have many of us been exposed to something like this until now – the precariousness of life and the interconnectedness of all humanity. We were happy living life as mini islands, in the false securities and pretences of the busyness we had created, disconnected from nature and the reality of life. And the Coronavirus is showing us how connected we really are and how much we all need to work together, including with nature, as a true world community.

Channeling Fear Productively

This wake-up call has been a truly humbling experience for many of us. At times of great upheavals, people can become  scared, upset and irrational. As we clamor to protect ourselves and our families, we need to have the proper perspective. If we descend into the spiral of fear, it will create unnecessary stress. Stress creates inflammation and weakens our immune system making us more susceptible.

So while realizing that it is the natural human impulse to have fear in the face of a threat, it is essential not to allow the fear to take over our lives. Let us channel that fear productively and inspire ourselves to be courageous; to hold one another even closer and with deeper resolve. Fear has value because it can connect us to others and help us transform together and become more sensitive and humane.

The Interconnectedness Of Body, Mind & Spirit

There is something else going on in the world in these extraordinary times. Great collective struggles create great collective clarity.

It is becoming blindingly clear that health is not only a matter of body but also of mind and spirit. The body, mind and spirit aren’t separate entities. They affect each other continually. They are, in fact, entwined and interconnected and need to work in perfect synergy if health has to happen. Even when it appears that only the body needs healing, the cause may trace back to the mind and treating the root cause brings wholesome health into the body.

The spiritual component of the human mechanism, our ‘Infinite Self’ is this innate natural intelligence which runs the show unbeknownst to us and which is also in tune with the environment and the Universe, the sole hope for all of us in these uncertain times. We need to trust and depend on the amazing human mechanism which has overcome many such grave health challenges in the past.

We as humanity will need to be aware of our wonderful mechanism and not go against the very systems which take us toward life. To listen to our bodies messages and give it extra attention and care would be a lifesaver in these times. We should increase the intuitive understanding or inner knowing of our own systems in order to boost the functioning of our immune system at an optimal level.

The Interconnectedness Of All Life

Another significant aspect that the world has started recognizing is the interconnectedness of all life. No truth is as loud and clear; we are all in this together. What each of us does and doesn’t do can have an impact upon the other. No matter what our health situation is, we are connected with the familiar and the stranger, the strong and the vulnerable. Never before have we been reminded most forcefully of our connection with other humans, in fact with all life.

The Coronavirus is also changing the landscape of our inner spaces. At this point, it is essential to ask ourselves these crucial questions:

How do we treat ourselves?

How do we treat others?

How do we treat our environment?

When we are unable to connect with the higher expression of Infinite Self or our interconnected nature, we create an illusion of duality and live our lives as though everything is separate. Through this illusion, we have allowed the pandemic to invade our existence. The bright side of the epidemic is that the majority of people now see interconnectedness as a fact.

Extraordinary Crisis, Extraordinary Opportunities

Our individual Self and how healthy we are in our minds and our bodies can affect a billion others, just like if you pull one string in a net, it affects the whole. We should look at this seriously and choose wisely as our collective choice can even change the course of human destiny. This is the story of humanity and nature. In the age of technology, we are moving so fast that we forget our role in nature and in the Universe but now is the time to rethink how to be, how to operate and make the necessary changes.

Extraordinary crisis also present extraordinary opportunities. Let us use this time and space to feel the connection toward all of life. The collective pain and suffering we are seeing can be a great motivator to see the links, the interlocking webs of energy among all living things and nature as well as becoming aware of the wonders of our human mechanism. Many already realize that all hell breaks loose when we forget to see this. So, let us reside as much as possible in that space of Oneness and not separation.

The way to go is to nurture faith and resolve so that we can overcome all the hardships and anxieties that are bound to arise during any period of great change. While the old gives way to the new, as individuals, we have an essential role to play; to stand steadfast in the face of adversity and believe in the unity of humankind. Let this time with ourselves bring about a massive inner shift and help us emerge out as more robust, wiser and united individuals valuing everything around us as our own, feeling “One” with All That Is.