Connect
Connections are the
fabric of the universe. Connections at every level form the very
stuff of existence.
Human connections between parents and children, between lovers,
friends, co-workers and even between strangers on the Internet serve to
keep us all sane. It's no coincidence that the ultimate
punishments involve the removal of connections, whether though
ostracism, banishment or solitary confinement. At a very deep
level, we need connection in order to remain fully human.
When we want to improve our mental health, the counsellor's first
advice is, "Get out and make some friends."
On the physical level, forces such as gravity and the strong and
weak
atomic forces connect the material objects in our universe.
Without those connections the planets, stars and galaxies could not
even exist.
On a more abstract level, the connections between ideas drive
the growth of civilizations. Connections between states of being
are required to make the slightest action possible. And since
both ideas and states of being can represent or involve physical
matter, in an indirect way they too involve the physical
connections mentioned above.
At a deep philosophical level, every connection in the universe is at
least faintly represented in every other connection, no matter how real
or abstract each connection may seem to be. Given that
understanding, it is but a short step to the idea that every element of
the universe, whether physical (like atoms or galaxies), emergent (like
civilizations or human institutions) or abstract (like scientific
theories) is connected to every other element of the universe.
The fact that those connections may not be obvious or measurable, or
may seem unimportant to our present needs, does not vacate this
fundamental truth.
Continuing down that chain of reasoning, the next stop is the
realization that the universe itself should be
thought of more as a set of connections than as a set of objects.
Objects within the universe may change, but if the infinite lattice of
connections is not broken, the universe itself remains intact.
As human beings, it is our
privilege to become aware of, and consciously participate in, this
infinite lattice of connections. In fact it is in the web of
connections that all creativity is rooted. Every human action creates
new connections or changes existing ones. As human beings we can choose to
create connections that are harmonious and fulfilling to us. By
creating or changing the connections that bind us to the universe, we
participate in the dance through which all the elements of the universe
co-create this existence. In that sense, we each share in the
powers of God.
If we think of God as the infinite sea of connections that underlies
our reality, then it's possible to see a single connection as the
quantum unit of the sacred. Every time we consciously create or
change this fabric of connections we have the opportunity to become
aware of the infinity in which we participate, and through that to
touch the awareness of God.
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