Loneliness & Connection
Connection comes in many forms, sometimes furry, sometimes floral, sometimes human. We are in relationship with our entire environment, from the cells of our bodies, to the air we breathe, to the dirt beneath our feet. When we feel lonely we have become estranged from our essential nature. In our essentiality we are never alone, we are completely connected.
Many things can cleave us from this innate knowledge of interconnection: modern trials and tribulations, like finances, childcare, social media, propaganda, etc., can overwhelm and overburden us, tilting us out of center. Distractions of attachment come at us from every angle—be more active, be more Christian, be more rich, be more funny, be more sweet—the list goes one and on. It is a symptom of our consumerist culture to equate more with better, when that is often not the case. What it really creates is the stress of striving and grasping at things that you think you need or want, leading to a loneliness within as we stray farther from the contentment of just being.
It is distracting to always seek the next-the greater-the advancement. This way of thinking pulls us from our intuitive knowing, clouding the clear awareness that comes from living through our center, a place of acceptance and wholeness. Through quieting our desire and tuning into the heart of existence within ourselves and everything around us we find inner peace and inherent belonging.
Pause, bear witness to a blade of grass or sun ray. Pause, be mindful of your connection to that blade and to the sun. When we allow space to honor the lives of those around us, whether they are human or plant or interstellar, we simultaneously do the same for ourselves.
Finding connection with other creatures can help lead us back to that connected place within ourselves, the place that knows what it feels like to be home. We can connect with the clouds in the sky, a friendly cat, or passing butterfly. Each and every experience of life can be a way to connect with Self, with our cosmic home. We can find belonging in the air we breath as it enters the lungs and oxygenates the body, visualizing the molecules absorb into our cells, feeling the transfer of energy, and noticing sensation as we exhale. When we allow ourselves to experience the interdependent plurality of Self, loneliness is less relevant, for we are connected at the core to everything else.
In modern society, finding a sense of authentic connection and belonging can be challenging. And although it may be very important to find that special connection with a friend, spouse, child or parent, it is also important to realize that you are always in connection and always belonging in the intricate web of Self, through the mere fact of your existence. You belong because you exist.
Practice: Take a moment to sit with a small non-human living creature. Be curious about it. Practice identifying with it. How does it feel to be that small?
