Disconnect to Reconnect Week 4

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

-Albert Einstein

Compassion and connection leads to the collective community – as Einstein beautifully writes in his quote. We are not separate from the rest of humanity or life but at times it may feel as though we are. There are two ways to find the collective community, one is through hate and the other is through love finding shared meaning that is serving others.  It seems easier for people to form a common bond through hating a group of people, a system, a way of life. How do we overcome the pull to form allegiances against groups or ideas? Perhaps it begins with that same idea of being curious in our own personal relationship building. We’re not endorsing others’ values or beliefs; we’re simply seeking to understand the reasoning behind them. Communicating instead of staying disconnected. When we bond with others over purpose that serves humanity and connects people the wider that circle will become.