Day 44, March 14 Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. M.K. Gandhi All of Life is, by nature of its Oneness, truly interdependent. Physicist David Bohm refers to this as the Implicate Order of the Universe. He says that because all energy and matter in the universe arose from one single action (the Big Bang), that there is an unbroken wholeness of the totality of existence as an undivided flowing movement without borders. In other words, whatever value or moral test we may put it to, the underlying truth is that we are interdependent, whether we like it or not. Chaos Theory is built upon this model. It simply says that because everything is interdependent, it makes the universe so complex we cannot fully understand anything nor the unintended consequences of any act. Thus, as the most famous example in Chaos Theory suggests, A butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a Typhoon in China. Each of us should be working toward the goal of self-sufficiency. Without self-sufficiency, we are always in lack and lack always creates the tendency to violence, for we seek to take what we do not have. But at the same time, our interdependence must not be forgotten. Seeking self-sufficiency without considering interdependence will always become selfish, for it ignores all needs but our own. Selfishness is always, by its nature, violence. Thus, when we do whatever it is we are called to do, we must understand that no action ever occurs in a vacuum. Our actions have consequences far beyond those we expect or intend. They are affecting every other life on this planet, in ways we cant even anticipate. In addition, the acts of every other person affects us in some way. We are completely interdependent with and on one another. The truest path to non-violence in any society is the recognition and practice of seeking self-sufficiency together in our complete interdependence. Affirmative Practice Today, I will meditate on my interdependence with all life. Today, as I seek all I need to sustain myself, I will watch for how my actions affect others and their ability to be self-sufficient. When I can see my actions affecting others, I will ask, Is there another way, a more loving way to act? Then I will follow that course. That is the path of non-violence. Let peace begin with you.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 10:20:41 +0000