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| We are One: 6.8 billion musketeers by Asha Hawkesworth |
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Illustration by Maurice Leloir, It's tempting to believe that we as individuals can get on by ourselves in this world. That we don't need the help or support of others in our community, and that we can live self-sufficient lives in a bubble, not knowing our neighbors, blissfully unaware of the problems of people we don't know. Americans worship self-sufficiency and independence, and we believe that all it takes to be successful is to work hard and pull ourselves up by our boot-straps. And there is no question that hard work and the willingness to take responsibility for ourselves are important qualities. But independence and isolation did not get us where we are today, and they won't serve us in the future, either. The truth is, we are not isolated or self-sufficient. No one is. No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. It's a myth to assume that we built this country on the force of individualism alone. Some early pioneering homesteads were no doubt isolated and remote, but even they had neighbors, and they had to work together to survive. Building your own house, growing your own food, and preparing for winter was hard work, and everybody had to do what they were capable of. The Amish and other communities still function like this today. They support one another as they are able. Today, we are just as interdependent. We rely on others to grow our food and ship it to our community. We rely on others to build our homes. We rely on people and services to deliver clean water, electricity, and our Internet connection. We rely on trained healthcare professionals to keep us well. We rely on teachers and public schools to learn how to function in our society. We rely on churches, synagogues, mosques, and other spiritual gather places for community and spiritual support. Those who cannot do for themselves rely on the greater community to help them exist at all—and there but for the grace of God goes anyone. We are not a nation or world full of individuals. We are a single community, a single humanity. We all depend on one another. We are all in this together. If we cannot agree, we must compromise. When we fail to do this, we have wars and violence, and this affects everyone, whether we live in a war zone or not. When we cannot take care of our environment, everyone suffers, because we all live on this planet together. When we cannot live in the consciousness of love and compassion for others, then everyone suffers because we fail those in need. We cannot assume that because we are "doing okay," then everyone else must fend for themselves—because if they are not doing okay, then they messed up somehow. In modern society, it is easy to overlook the people in our community who need us. We don't need them to build our houses, help us bring in the crop, or prepare for a harsh winter, so there is no immediate consequence in assuming that they are someone else's problem. But there are always consequences. When we fail the people in our own communities, we fail ourselves, and we are diminished. Everyone has a Divine purpose here on this planet. Everyone matters. God would literally be diminished without each and every one of us. No one is disposable, and when we treat people as though they are—using whatever judgments are convenient at the time—we are diminishing what God is, and we are therefore diminishing ourselves. Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me. We are One being, even when we don't feel that way. The fortunes of others affect the fortunes of us all. The quality of our world, our society, and our lives depends on how we treat one another, and ourselves. It really is that simple. Tous pour un, un pour tous. (All for one, one for all.) Related articles: |
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Copyright 2003-2010, Asha & Ahnna Hawkesworth
