by: What would change if from the moment you were born up until now, you were taught that in some way we are all truly connected?
What if a story of interconnectedness was the foundation of your worldview, letting you know that you are connected to the earth, plants, animals, people and universe in ways that may not be so obvious? I’m not talking about this in some matter of fluff, but practically.What if instead of seeing all of us as separate material objects from one another, we saw each other as fragments of ourselves and truly acknowledged that deep within our being?
Well, if you grew up in an indigenous culture this would likely be your worldview already. But now we’re seeing this understanding make its way into Western culture and mainstream thinking.
From a scientific standpoint, you can think of this inter-connection through quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement occurs when two particles, in their quantum state, are separated from each other yet, when you do to something to one of them the other one does the exact same thing regardless of what distance is between them.
For example, if you were to separate the two particles by 1000 miles and ‘spin’ one of them, the other one will also instantaneously start spinning in the same way. This suggests that the two material particles, even though separate and at a distance from one another, are somehow still interconnected in some way we don’t quite yet understand yet.
Scientists have done these experiments many times over and have been fascinated by the possible explanations. One being that information may be travelling much fasting than the speed of light, which is an explanation that would likely break our current understanding of classical mechanics. The other being that they are somehow still connected.
In 1965, alpha brain rhythms were elicited in one pair of identical twins as a result of evoking these rhythms in a conventional manner solely in the other. How is this possible? How do participants in US government remote viewing programs view people, places and objects hundreds of miles away with nothing but their mind?
As the Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy pointed out in 1991, in a study archived by the CIA:
“Such phenomena and paranormal abilities of the human body are unimaginable for ordinary people. Nevertheless they are really true.”
Could it be possible that there is some deep connection not immediately apparent to us? One that maybe isn’t recognized in our day to day mind but when we take the time to slow down, quiet ourselves and feel, it seems present?
My own experiences of remote viewing and non-locality through practice tells me that the material explanation that these ‘abilities’ are not possible and somehow an observation error or wishful thinking simply doesn’t cut it for me.
In fact, personally I’m not even sure I need to know exactly ‘how’ it all works, but I can see the value in exploring it for what answers it could provide to our collective worldview. If I could be so daring, I bet that even the biggest skeptics around these topics sense deep down that there is a truth to something ‘non-material’ about our reality, and that humans are plugged right into it.
That said I think it is useful to have doubt. It can help us challenge the knee jerk and jump to conclusions type of thought that can run rampant seeking a certain explanation. But in my mind it is also very important not to simply state: “we don’t have a material explanation and therefore it’s nonsense.” This is the fatal error in the religious and scientific dogma that’s occurring today. It is an anti-science view that suggests we already know almost everything.
What Does This Mean For Us?
What I see happening here is a shift that seems to show up as a seed planted somewhere in our being. Perhaps it is the seeds planted by prior experiments or perhaps it’s an evolutionary pressure within our consciousness to continually evolve, maybe both!
Either way, something is driving our curiosity to continue to ask questions in this realm, and for the scientists stepping outside of the incentive structure of our current scientific landscape, they are venturing into fascinating territory.
Is it possible we are affecting each other in this quantum way? If so, how? Do we affect some things and not others? Is there a sort of ‘permission’ that must be granted to affect certain things? How could we know? In what ways might we be affecting nature, animals or our planet? What about other planets? How might other planets be affecting us, or perhaps even other dimensions? So many curious questions.
But even without going to such deep questions, we can simply ask: is it not obvious that we do impact our reality simply by the decisions and actions we take? Can we not see that even though a decision seems like it will only effect us, it’s actually possible it effects more people – even some for generations to come? Does this alone not suggest a deep interconnectedness?
What would change in your everyday decision making if you were to consider that you are connected to and must be a responsible steward of land, animals, each other, communities etc? What if, as many indigenous cultures do, you asked how your decisions and choices might effect people for up to 7 generations after you. How might you go about thinking and feeling that out?
It can be hard to stretch our consciousness to a worldview like that. After all, we have been brought up thinking and seeing the world through a light of separation, anything else feels foreign. In fact, in much of Western culture we have come to ridicule and make fun of that which is outside the realm of the material. We even scoff at the idea of doing more than just taking care of yourself… right now. You’re a hippy if you think 7 generations deep!
But could a shift in our collective worldview from one of separation and competition to one of interconnectedness and collaboration be possible?
I think so and I feel so – I know so. It’s happening right in front of us. Sure, I may have some bias here. For the last 15 years I’ve created companies, media, films and educational content exploring the idea that our collective worldview is in fact shifting, and that we will continually come to realize that we are all significantly more interconnected than we realize. But I’m not the only one.
Cultural historian and ecotheologian Thomas Berry viewed the universe as a community of beings not a collection of objects. His philosophy suggested an acknowledgement of connectedness between all things – a connected community.
Of course interconnection is also a central core of many First Nations worldview’s and ways of knowing. As a people they carry a mindset that they are aware that everything in our world and universe is connected. This mindset reinforces that everyone and everything has a purpose, is worthy of respect and caring, and has a place in life. How might we treat our world differently in the West if these ideas were embedded into our culture? Instead, dominance over everything and everyone is typically what drives Western life.
Within First Nations communities they embrace the idea of interconnectedness via a term “All My Relations.” This connects them to their families, communities, ancestors and future descendants, the land, and all plant and animal life. Even with this different worldview, these cultures exhibit a scientific understanding of the earth, weather, cycles of the seasons, medicinal and food sources, harvesting, and creating everything they need from nature’s abundance.
As you can see, this worldview is not a new idea, but one that we may more collectively return to. This of course is a process each of us can reflect on and embrace, as opposed to waiting for a politician to tell us what to think about the possible direction of our world. New systems and ways of being are held within each of us, and not just within the external systems we create. If we cannot hold new worlds within ourselves, how can we expect them to be created?
This realization suggests we must take an active and engaged part in creating a better world. It does not have to be overly complicated either. Explore new ideas, reflect on why we do the things we do, question whether new ways of being make more sense to you deep down, and ask how you can begin embracing those ideas in your own life.
It can be daunting to try and ‘fix’ the world and wonder how everything can be changed in one go. For this reason it’s best to see things as a progression, one that starts within you.
Begin alone if you feel or connect in community around new ideas and learn to hold them in ever increasing parts within your perception. It may be a bit tough right now as many around you may not think this way, but things are changing, and changing fast. I recall 15 years ago, when I started Collective Evolution, this was not a common topic of conversation AT ALL. Now, it has grown so much it can be hard to believe. Even though there appears to be little incentive to think and be this way on the surface, especially within our current societal game, there is much beauty and peace in it.
And when it comes to science, this same evolution in thought is happening. There is a renaissance of sorts happening whereby many scientists are opening up to the study of consciousness and the non-material.
While pop culture and media suggests there is plenty of reason to be afraid of our future, I am very hopeful and optimistic. I see incredible things happening and all we are experiencing now is a wake up call to begin embracing a new way of thinking and being. It’s a birthing canal for a new world, and you’re a key part of it.
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