When we say that humans are social creatures, it doesn’t just mean that we like to gather and communicate. It means that through the many selves, a society emerges. Without society, we would have no language, and thus no thoughts.
So while there is a great deal we can learn about ourselves when we close our eyes and turn our attention inward, it is also important to understand that we are so much more than ourselves.
We are the external influences that shaped our lives and our thinking. We are our surroundings. We are our ancestors. We are the plants we breathe and the foods we consume. To put it more plainly, we are the relationship between ourselves and all life on this planet. This concept is the focus of our upcoming film, Finding Your True Self: A Love Story, coming out on YouTube July 12th at 8:00AM. Be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss it.
Even if we disagree with someone else, we are the disagreement. We are the stance in opposition to that other person. It is thanks to the cruelty we reject that we can be kind. It is thanks to selfishness that we can know our generosity. And it is thanks to loss that we can appreciate the love we had. I talk in more detail about the illusion of loss and how our loved ones never stop being a part of us in my book, Grief and Spiritual Healing: Surviving Life After Loss.
Within bad are the seeds of good. Thus, there is no bad. When we start to see how everything negative has the potential for a positive response and a wise relationship, we start to see the interconnected oneness all around us.
Focus on relationships over the illusory individual and isolated events. No person, thing or place is separate from everything else. This is a false way of seeing. In truth, everything, including yourself, exists in relationship to everything else.
When we realize we are the oneness of the universe, we stop falling for the illusion of separateness and isolation. All self-pressure, self-consciousness and self-doubt fade away as we realize there is no self. In my latest podcast, see beyond the veil of duality, discover your true nature, and feel the universe within.
Even in negative circumstances, a positive response is always possible. No matter what unfortunate circumstances occur, we can exist in a wise and positive relationship to it. We cannot control everything, but we can always control our relationship with the universe around us.
Much love,
ToddP.S. When we learn these 8 simple life lessons, life changes. Happiness and ease become states of mind we can access at any time.
