Interconnection

Look at this egg.  It's just an ordinary egg, right?  We've probably seen and eaten thousands of them over the course of our life.  We probably don't give them much thought as we crack them into a frying pan or beat them into a cake mix.

But look again. This time, see the chicken that laid the egg; the farmer that fed, housed and cared for the chicken and carefully collected the egg; the workers who packaged the egg in a carton and loaded the cartons onto a truck; the truck that picked the eggs up and drove them to the store; the stock boys who unloaded the cartons and stacked them in the dairy case. Now, go even deeper than that: the corn that fed the chicken; the soil, sun, rain, wind and dark starry nights that coaxed the seeds from the earth; the field hand who picked the corn; the person who engineered the truck that drove the corn to the farmer's silo, and so on.  When we begin the practice and process of seeing clearly, what we begin to realize is that we are here as a result of the labors of countless other beings. Our very lives are interconnected with the lives of all other sentient beings.  We are not alone... ever.

Monday was Labor Day.  Labor Day is a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.  To me it's a wonderful opportunity to not only honor our own work, but it's also a reminder of how the efforts of others allow us to live comfortably. 

Remind yourself today - and always - that the people you meet, the products you use, etc, are there as a result of another's labor.  All sentient beings form an infinite tapestry, and life inextricably weaves us together.  We are here to support each other, not be separate from one another.

Until next time...

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread within it.  Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves.  All things are bound together.  All things connect.  -Chief Seattle


LOKAH SAMASTA SUKHINO BHAVANTU: May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

When we practice yoga asana, we practice taking the seat of others. We practice being the moon, the warrior, the dog, the cow, the cobra, and the trees. We take their form and connect with their essence. With time and practice, we begin to develop empathy for all beings and realize that we are not different from each other after all. We learn that all beings share the desire for happiness and freedom. (from the Jivamukti practice)