Connection is everywhere, whether we realize it or not
An earthquake of major magnitude on the Eastern coast of Russia triggers tsunami warnings across the Pacific. The effects are felt in Japan, Hawaii, and along the entire western coast of the Americas from Washington state down to Chile. It's a dramatic example of how tremors both seen and unseen are happening at all times, and an event does not need to be part of our direct awareness for it to affect our direct experience.
In fact, most of our direct experiences are a result of what has transpired unseen, whether deep in the earth's crust, or deep in our hearts. Human interaction is full of unseen tremors that ripple onto our path, whether or not we witnessed the initial pebble tossed or the first wind blow. Ripple instigators come in all forms. Someone woke up today to news of a loved one's terminal diagnosis. Was that the person who seemed rude for not returning your smile on the Metro? And did that lack of friendly validation leave you with a sense of disconnection as you headed to work less open-hearted than you felt when you woke up that day, a feeling that lingered as you met your partner for lunch?
Meanwhile, someone had been reading about children starving in Gaza, and this news triggered their lingering trauma from childhood food insecurity, but you had no way of knowing that as you involuntarily judged them for overloading their plate at the all-you-can-eat buffet. And you may not have recognized immediately that this judgment was a reflex borne of your own trauma from being the youngest of eight kids in a family where the brownies disappeared faster than your little legs could run to the serving plate, the memory of which sent you back to your restaurant table without patience for your partner's complaints about their micromanaging boss, leading to an argument that dysregulated your server's nervous system, causing them to mess up your drink order and sacrifice the big tip you would have normally given.
This is a good time for a deep breath.
When the Eastern wisdom traditions speak of interconnectedness, it is to remind us that the "self" we imagine to be solid and separate is an illusion. The danger of buying into this false sense of self is that we become armored against an equally false sense of "other." We perceive our problems as ours alone, and others' problems as theirs alone, when the truth is that there is always a through line of problems, griefs, traumas, and triggers, just as real as the through line of our capacity to support and heal. We have no control over pebbles tossed by others, but we can shift the shape of the next ripple if we choose a response guided by patience, compassion, and love.
As we move through the heat of August, we hope you find opportunities for mindful practices that help you feel connected, open-hearted, and gentle with yourself and others.
~ Annie Moyer