Relationships as practice, and Led Zeppelin
Hi fellow Earthling,
In the context of the global narratives of divisiveness, enmity, and animosity, we can all do well to remember that life is all about relationships. Everything that happens in existence does so in relation to everything else; everything that exists is interwoven and interrelated and inseparable despite appearances. We are alive amidst an impossibly complex and vast environment. All that we ever see of the entire cosmos is our little corner of it. To be clear, we have made our corner very messy.
As a species, we have spent an enormous amount of time and energy on separating ourselves from everything around us in order to better understand what we are, and how to "make the most" of being here. We have sacrificed a great deal in order to enjoy the level of comfort and satisfaction that we do. At this point, our generation and the ones to follow will have to pay a great price for the "progress" of industrialization and mass production. One of the simplest and most profound things that we as ordinary people can do is recognize the power of our relationships.
Part of what has driven the large scale destruction of the natural world is the notion that we exist in isolation from one another, and that our actions make little impact on anyone but ourselves. There is no doubt that everything we do has a consequence, and that the very real impacts of our actions, beliefs, and ideas return to us in some form or another. As messages become increasingly polarized, and we "get in our feelings" about the issue of the moment, we continue to slide further into alienation and powerlessness. If we are to empower ourselves to be a force for reorienting our collective actions, we must delve deeply into our relationships.
Here are some thoughts on how our practice helps us navigate relationships:
Inspired by Led Zeppelin - Friends