Diversity in Unity
In many spiritual practices we hear “we are all one”, suggesting the interconnectedness of all beings. Some people find that comforting while for others that concept creates a sense of resistance within them. Perhaps it brings fear that such a state of oneness will mean a loss of individuality (and our ability to control what we need to get for our survival) as a human being. Ponder this concept, however, Oneness, or unity, and Individuality are not mutually exclusive.
Think of a jigsaw puzzle where the finished picture is a view of sky and ocean. All the sky pieces look the same and all the ocean pieces look the same, but the sky pieces look very different than the ocean pieces. Now look closer and you’ll see that the sky pieces are actually uniquely different from each other just as the ocean pieces are also uniquely different than each other. All of these pieces when fit together, however, make up one interconnected framework in that same one puzzle. The result of these interconnected pieces is a beautiful picture of an ecosystem that works in a co-creative way to maintain a balance in nature. Here is an example of diversity in unity, where oneness and individuality can coexist. Now think about this example pertaining to humanity.
If this concept sounds wonderful to you, then why is there so much fear around it and resistance to it in society? That’s what we need to explore and here is where the work begins. Let’s start with the fear I referred to earlier, the fear that acknowledging and allowing a state of unity will mean a loss of our individuality. On a societal level where groups of people exist, that translates into, “if we allow a particular group into what we perceive to be our group we will lose our group’s individuality and thus the control of our survival”. This comes from a mentality of separateness that has pervaded the human psyche since birth and time immemorial. This separateness is addressed in my work using wholeness healing concepts.
In my last blog essay, I talked about how we are all born with the same survival instincts regardless of race/ethnicity. All living creatures enter the world needing to figure out how to breathe, eat, and move, with no direction on how to accomplish this other than our need to survive. It is all we know, and it is one of the first true feelings we have as we relate to the physical world beyond our physical bodies. As we grow we become part of a bigger unit, a tribe or family with similar features, and our individual survival now includes the survival of that tribe. Our individual survival now also depends on that tribe. All works well until we encounter other tribes who may look different or are from a different place. But they too are born with the same survival instincts. Conflicts arise as our encounters call into question how it will impact our individual survival and that of our tribe. Will there still be enough to sustain my survival (group) if this other tribe joins us. Without going too densely into the anthropology of human evolution, consider this the beginning of how we form the “Us and Them” belief. I am referring to the system that believes if others thrive then we will lose what we have and perish. This belief is systemic of the human condition and not always conscious.
We must acknowledge we ALL do this, we all have this fear based on our need to survive. It’s what keeps us separate, it’s what causes people to diminish and brutalize others. It’s what causes racism. Does this mean everyone is racist? NO, thankfully, but we can do better. In order to stop the cycle of fear-based prejudice, we first have to acknowledge it and where it comes from. Then we can take the steps to healing it that includes listening and taking action. That is why the intention for creating and participating in the World Wholeness Healing Initiative is to remember our divine presence, our wholeness, and our humanity in order to overcome the fears that keep us separate. By doing this, we acknowledge the pain we can potentially cause others and ourselves. Hopefully the pain can lead to healing, to promoting awareness to racism in all forms, to taking actions against it, and to remember the wholeness within each of us that is the wholeness of us all.