Metaphysics

“No man is an island entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”-- John Donne 17th Century Metaphysical Poet

Today’s thoughts on the metaphysical connections between us came from yourinspiration@famous-quotes-quotations.com and from the book “The Promise of a New Day.” The latter said “What each of us learns eases the struggles of another. All experiences are meant for the good of us all.”

I thought: how cool to be able to simply live mindfully at the same time being able to ease the struggles of others.

Recently I had an illness scare. Intuitively I knew nothing was wrong, but modern machines said the potential for damage was different. For a month, going for repeat and then advanced testing, I wondered if I was going to hear bad news. Not believing it, again intuitively, it became an exercise in mental tasking. Do I think about it or do I put it out of my mind? Is there something I can do about it? No. Is there some way to prepare for bad news? Yes and no. If I allow for the possibility, am I encouraging it to occur? So I went about my day with a cloud over my head not willing or allowing it to ruin my enjoyment of life.

Then it hit me. Other people live with this for real. Other people go through their day, knowing they have life ending illnesses. And today, with a clean bill of health, I read about how all of our struggles are interrelated and this gave me peace. Yes, I’ll give you that there is some “misery loves company” element to it, which fits my profile, but for the most part it’s about being human and tapping into the collective consciousness of our fellow beings so as not to feel so alone at the moment when we really are.

So I continue to read the selection chosen for today from The Promise of a New Day and feel connected. Not so alone and ready to give of myself more willingly.

“Our problems seem so singular; we often feel alone with our struggles. And it's true that each of us must come to our own terms with whatever situation faces us. But no struggle facing us is free from the influence of other people and their struggles. We have a shared destiny which is accompanied by individual perceptions and both singular and mutual responses to the ebb and flow enfolding us all.

Knowing that we share this journey offers comfort when we need it in our daily struggles. We are not alone, forgotten, unimportant to the destiny of others. Nor are others without meaning in the experiences we're gifted with. Our existences are mutual--we are interdependent contributors to the total life cycle.”