The illusion that we are separate from anything let alone each other is the greatest danger we as a species face. Its pervasive hold on our collective consciousness drives such destructive behaviors as competition, domination, accumulation and hoarding, fear based reactivity, and polarization - politically, societally, and economically.
The following was penned by the Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh in his book Love Letter to the Earth (Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press, 2013), 8–9, 10.
"At this very moment, the Earth is above you, below you, all around you, and even inside you. The Earth is everywhere. You may be used to thinking of the Earth as only the ground beneath your feet. But the water, the sea, the sky, and everything around us comes from the Earth. Everything outside us and everything inside us comes from the Earth. We often forget that the planet we are living on has given us all the elements that make up our bodies. The water in our flesh, our bones, and all the microscopic cells inside our bodies all come from the Earth and are part of the Earth. The Earth is not just the environment we live in. We are the Earth and we are always carrying her within us.
Realizing this, we can see that the Earth is truly alive. We are a living, breathing manifestation of this beautiful and generous planet. Knowing this, we can begin to transform our relationship to the Earth. We can begin to walk differently and to care for her differently. We will fall completely in love with the Earth. When we are in love with someone or something, there is no separation between ourselves and the person or thing we love. We do whatever we can for them and this brings us great joy and nourishment. That is the relationship each of us can have with the Earth. That is the relationship each of us must have with the Earth if the Earth is to survive, and if we are to survive as well.
If we think about the Earth as just the environment around us, we experience ourselves and the Earth as separate entities. We may see the planet only in terms of what it can do for us. We need to recognize that the planet and the people on it are ultimately one and the same. A lot of our fear, hatred, anger, and feelings of separation and alienation come from the idea that we are separate from the planet. We see ourselves as the center of the universe and are concerned primarily with our own personal survival. If we care about the health and well-being of the planet, we do so for our own sake. We want the air to be clean enough for us to breathe. We want the water to be clear enough so that we have something to drink. But we need to do more than use recycled products or donate money to environmental groups. We have to change our whole relationship with the Earth."
Fr. Richard Rohr, who brought this writing to my attention, says: "Hanh recognizes that our false notion of separateness from the Earth not only creates physical harm but emotional harm as well."
I suggest taking this even further. If your ideal life is to be realized you, we, I must act, think, feel and love as if there is no one and no thing "out there". All I perceive and think of as reality is an outward expression of who I think myself to be. No person's conduct will be higher than their conception of the creative force that moves to and through all life. And their conception of this creative force is determined by the kind of person they think themselves to be.
