Nothing is truly separate. Nothing exists in isolation.
All things, events and people are intimately interconnected. In essence, all is one and one is all. Oneness IS.
This concept of oneness is thrown around a lot, especially in “spiritual” communities. It sounds a bit idealistic, right? One of those “woo-woo” theories with no validity. But after approaching the concept of oneness from different perspectives, I’ve found it to be an all-pervading truth.
This is not about blindly repeating what some so-called “guru” said about oneness. I aim to break it down into digestible pieces for you to metabolize in your own unique way. This article gives you a road map to uncover truth for yourself, because oneness is just an abstract concept until you truly understand and experience it.
I always knew that everything was connected in some way, but in a superficial way, without intrinsically understanding it. Oneness made sense to me as an idea, but I never fully grasped the immense truth and profundity of it until recently. I merely understood the interconnection of everything in the same way that one views a place on a map. Sure, you can envision what it might look like, but you never really understand it until you see the actual place.
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” – Carl Sagan
In one of Alan Watts’ mind-blowing lectures, he discusses that there really is no such thing as cause and effect existing as separate events. Watts suggests that everything is in fact one event and that there are no clear boundaries between events.
Think about it… When did your life start? Did it begin when you came out of the womb? No. As a fetus? Nope. When the sperm met the egg? As a sperm cell? As an egg? As your father or mother? As your grandparents? There really is no definitive boundary. And the man-made boundaries we create are merely arbitrary lines drawn to please our ego.
The butterfly effect illustrates the interconnectedness of events as well:
“The butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the metaphorical example of the details of a hurricane (exact time of formation, exact path taken) being influenced by minor perturbations such as the flapping of the wings of a distant butterfly several weeks earlier.” (Wikipedia)
This is why we use the phrase “chain of events.” Everything is intimately linked. There is no link of the chain which stands alone. It is all connected to the chain of existence. (And, as a side note regarding chains, the concept of time often shackles us.) So I would think of it more as a web. Everyone and everything is a strand. All connected, radiating out in a harmonious pattern, spun by the most beneficent force, not a spider with 8 legs, but a force embodied by the sideways 8; the essence of infinity.
I recently came across this great story from That Buddha Guy that succinctly summarizes just how interrelated everything is:
Holding up a sheet of paper he asked, “Do you see a cloud in this paper?” No one responded. Again he asked, “Do you see a cloud in this paper?” “You must see a cloud in this paper,” he continued, “because without a cloud there is no rain. Without rain there is no tree. Without a tree there is no paper.” He then asked, “Do you see a steel mill?” “You must see a steel mill because without the mill there is no steel. Without steel there is no axe or saw to cut the tree. No tree cut down, no paper.” The audience was beginning to understand his point. Chuckling he asked, “Do you see Wheaties?” “Loggers work hard and need a good breakfast. No loggers, no cut trees, no paper.” What was the point he made? First, nothing exists independent of outside conditions. Second, no single component is more important than another. These two points, along with the idea of impermanence, are the basis of Buddhism.
Everything is intimately connected. Don’t underestimate the power of your actions or the impact of your life. We’re all unique strands within the beautiful tapestry of infinity.
One love.
– Stevie P!
