A lump forms in my throat, my heart blooms, my nose prickles, and tears glisten in my eyes. Over the past couple of months when I read or hear something that profoundly describes feelings of being human, I’ve experienced this intense tenderness.
Author and photographer Beth Powning writes, in her memoir Edge Seasons: “I want to scoop up all my past selves—child, student, young mother, early middle-aged woman—and fold them into the person I am at this moment. I’m trying to see that all those me’s are still here, while understanding, at the same time, that everything else … has gone or changed.”
In this post from the Instagram account View from a Bridge, a self-identified autistic man describes a spontaneous dip in the ocean: “all my emotions just lifted … I felt like I was kind of reconnected with my human traits … I just have these moments [of disconnection from other human beings], but then I return to nature, and I stay in it for as long as I possibly can until I just feel great again … I feel human, I feel like I belong.”
In his recent book Boldly Go, excerpted here in Variety, William Shatner echoes similar feelings of connection with nature and fellow human beings as he reflects on his experience seeing earth from afar: “I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the universe. … I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound.” Shatner goes on to say that the event “was among the strongest feelings of grief” he’d ever experienced.
Maybe it being autumn in the northern hemisphere has magnified the poignancy of these encounters for me. Another year heading into dormancy. Night falling earlier each evening, mirroring the life cycle of every living creature, all of which eventually die and return to the earth, just as do the colorful leaves falling from the trees this season. The tenderness abides in the flash of beauty, the recognition that life is fleeting and that to savor moments matters.
Interesting. Made me think of:
Relational connections... From: becomingthejoirney
"All my relations: what does that mean and why is it important?"
becomingthejourney
"When I first came across the phrase All My Relations in an essay by Richard Wagamese, it warmed my heart, in part because I remember reading about Rabbit, who loved all his friends and relations in the wonderful children’s stories about Winnie the Pooh :-).
All my relations
There is much richness as we deepen into the words All my relations. Here is the context: our currents times are plagued by deep polarization, us/them thinking, zeno-phobia…the very opposite of positive thinking. These destructive habits of mind and speech create divisions and anxiety and hatred. We are not going to overcome these challenges if we do not find ways to recognize the way we are connected, the commonalties we all share, the things that are important to each of us… no matter how we vote or where we live or what colour our skin is.
Wagamese’s essay really invites a life transformation. Here in his words what he means when he says, all my relations:
I’ve been considering the phrase ‘all my relations’ for some time now. It’s hugely important. It’s our saving grace in the end. It points to the truth that -[ we are related, we are all connected, we all belong to each other. ]
The most important word is - all. Not just those who look like me, sing like me, dance like me, speak like me, pray like me or behave like me. ALL my relations. It means every person just as it means every blade of grass, rock, mineral and creature. We live because everything else does. If we were to collectively choose to live that teaching the energy of that change of consciousness would heal all of us — and heal the planet. We do it one person, one heart at a time…we are connected, we are the answer.
What a positive thinking shift this would be! How it could help us in overcoming challenges!
All my relations
All our relations is also the interbeing that the Dalai Lama refers to. He also emphasizes that we are all connected, interconnected. We are one. We are not separate. We have to learn to get along. We need to be able to talk to each other if we’re gonna come out of this alive! Literally! And what a great opportunity, no matter what our religion, no matter what our beliefs, we can open to each other, we can Awaken from the Trance of Bad Othering, as Tara Brock says.
If you want to explore an even deeper version of this topic, I invite you to check out what Charles Eisenstein says about all my relations. He truly suggests a life transformation. I am not there yet, but I appreciate his offerings. Listen here as he talks about An Us That Requires No Them
I’d love to hear how all this lands with you. We’re in this together!"
by:
Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth. Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Your feedback, forwards, tweets, and likes are most welcome.
Relational Identity
All My Relations