Collective Soul

It was French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who said, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience."

In a recent encounter with a happy-go-lucky Brit, I was reminded of this very truth; that we are each part of a collective soul, the sum of which is greater than our parts. It's an optimistic paradigm in a challenging world. Our interconnectedness can feel elusive at times-conflict, disagreements, alternative perspectives, busyness-can be distractions from our shared experience. No matter where we come from, what we believe or what we do for a living, there is one thing we have in common: we are all members of the human race having a shared, albeit temporary experience here on Mother Earth. 

On a daily basis, most of us are just trying to get through; we want to go to work everyday, put a roof over our heads, have food in our bellies, be of service to others and experience joy and happiness on a regular basis. Who among us does not want to be happy? But these simple and most basic desires can be subverted by the world we live in. Distractions and stimulus pull us to the left and to the right, skew our perspectives and turn our priorities upside down. Simplicity is profound, and it's profoundly difficult to keep things simple. 

It is so easy to become distracted and self-absorbed, buying into our own bullshit, believing we are the most important-and certainly most interesting-people on the planet. When, in reality, our own next door neighbors probably don't know who we are, much less care. Take it a few steps further out, say to Spain, where nothing we do on a daily basis impacts shit. How's that for perspective? It comes back full circle and begs the questions: Am I making a difference and for whom? And how does what I do matter? 

Life is about relationships. How I treat myself, my loved ones and my fellow beings-animal and plant variety included-speaks to my spiritual well-being. As a member of the collective soul, it is my responsibility to treat others with lovingkindness, honesty and respect. Being mindful, compassionate and honest and coming from a place of love is the best way I can make this world a little bit better. 

We are each one small part of the whole; a grain of sand on an enormous beach. And on this beach of humility, every grain of sand counts; no one more or less important and necessary than the other. Sometimes, the sun will hit just right and for a moment we will sparkle and glisten before we return to our natural state, just one in a zillion grains of sand. Each of us has our moment in the sun, but most of the time, we are no different than the grain of sand right next to us.

Take a moment today to honor yourself as a member of the collective soul- that one grain of sand among a zillion that is shining bright. You are important and necessary. Fill today and everyday with lovingkindness and compassion and happiness will find you.

-Namaste