Bear's Blog

Isn’t it ironic… We celebrate the birth of our nation on July 4th, Independence Day. On this momentous 250th anniversary we happen to be on the precipice of authoritarianism. It’s easy to understand why the colonists didn't want to be ruled (or taxed!) by a king. King George was a madman, and Americans-to-be were no longer connected by land, or even a state-sponsored religion. We all want freedom, but along with that there are still some responsibilities to society; we are interdependent. 

Many laws come from shared values that prohibit killing, stealing and other misconduct intended  to keep the peace. Ethical codes of behaviour in business and relationships also come into play. Those are very broad responsibilities we have as individuals to live in a civil society and be  protected from abuse. The Buddhist sage Thich Nhat Hahn focused on the deepest aspects of interdependence and an understanding that everything is connected.

Starting with the elements that sustain our life in the most basic ways - earth, air, fire and water -  he used the example of a teacup to demonstrate interdependence. The earth it is made of, the hand that formed it, the fire that baked the minerals in the glaze, the merchant that carried it to us, the herbs and water to make tea - all brought this moment into being. With this understanding he held simple objects as precious because of what they represented.

That’s our mantra in human health and consciousness too - it’s all connected. We are not best served by being dissected into parts. There's a place for close examination of biology and physiological processes, but it does not accurately describe life. Every cell in the body is communicating with every other cell. Our energy field is interacting with countless other fields - people, plants, animals, the earth and the whole cosmos.

Even our thoughts and feelings are energy forms that affect reality. On a quantum level, the observer interacts and affects whatever they are viewing. The butterfly effect is a concept in Chaos Theory (ha!) that changing one small thing changes everything. The mathematician Edward Lorenz popularized his theory with the question, “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?” He called it sensitive dependence, a feature of complex systems that made them unpredictable.

Contemplating how deeply we’re connected it becomes harder to separate, judge and isolate ourselves from any current dilemmas. It also underlines how our thoughts, words and the smallest of actions help determine what comes next. And how we also rely on others to create our joint reality. We depend on each other. Scary, exciting, and - chaotic!     

In my children’s Montessori pre-school they sang this chant that exemplifies our connection to it all - 

Earth is my body,

Water is my blood;

Air is my breath, and 

Fire! (hands clap) Is my spirit!

Peace, love and healing -

Bear