The law of divine oneness states that we are all connected at source with everyone and everything around us. Owing to the fact that we were made by the same creator, chances are high that the same substance was used hence our make-up is essentially the same save for the negligible variance in physical appearance. On one day the creator chose to use dark clay soil and on another day he deemed it fit to use light soil. Similarly, he was generous and used a good amount of soil on other days hence the height difference but we are all one.
The cycle of life clearly depicts the interconnectedness of things in the universe. We live, die and as the saying goes, dust becomes dust as we get buried. Ironically, we get buried on the same ground where we grow our food and from where plants get their nutrients. Somehow, in one form or shape our connection finds its way back to us no matter how dreary the thought is. The vegetable that grew on a grave site might be sumptuous when it lands on your plate. However, it has a back story though of how it came to be.
Every so often, I sit outside, observe things and marvel at God’s creation. People appear to move in all directions at different speeds and varying intervals. Their collective movement might appear disjointed, everyone might not know the other and their intention of travel might be as different as night and day. However, the underlying theme in my opinion is pursuit of happiness. One person heading to the pub wants to meet their friends over a drink or two. Another one has accumulated enough money to purchase their sought after items. Someone else is heading to work in order to improve their standard of living. An ailing individual is mustering strength to make it to a local chemist so as to feel better. After all is said and done, our common pursuit is what connects us. For the most part, we share the same aspirations.
Everything works together for good and a lot can be accomplished if we set aside our perceived differences. After all we have similar aspirations. If the tire inventor refused to allow access to his invention and the steel manufacturer did the same it would be foolhardy to imagine that a functional automobile would exist. A car made use of and merged several prior inventions. All the pieces came together and fit like a jig saw puzzle. There is a myriad of possibilities out there which can be tapped into if only we realize we are one.
We received a lesson on this earlier on in life. My cousin and I had a tendency of pulling in different directions and we did not see eye to eye. This did not bode well with our folks. One chilly afternoon, we were given a forced sit in and bombarded with sayings in our local dialect regarding unity. Prior to this, I had no idea that proverbs have a practical use besides being a line item in the exams that measured how smart we were and sounded. To this date, save for one renowned lawyer who has a penchant for use of flowery language in public, I am yet to encounter any other soul who peppers proverbs in everyday conversation. The lesson stuck and thereafter, we the eight year old boys held hands as we sauntered off to play.
The genesis of the bad blood so to speak was triggered one fine day when we paid them a visit. Prior to the visit, I had an inkling that the day would be good. I was lonely and bored at home since my older siblings had gone to school hence I was the only kid left at home. Therefore, I looked forward to some cheer and good company at my aunt’s place. Besides that my cousin was my age mate and so I felt we had a lot in common or so I thought. No sooner had we arrived than he bolted off like an unsaddled horse. He went to play with his friends and I was left in the company of old folk. As was customary back then, photo albums were brought to the table and we pored through the pages looking at pictures as we waited to be served a meal. It so happened that Mandela was released from prison on that same date. As a result, the TV screen was filled with ululations and celebrations I refused to be part of owing to my bruised ego.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Several moons later, I was deeply engrossed in some assigned chores and did not have plans to leave the house. My mother, always the meticulous one came to check on my progress from time to time. As she was leaving, I caught a glimpse of a car pulling up into our driveway. I instantly recognized the car as my aunt’s. She emerged from the car followed closely by my cousin. It was time to show him who ran the town since the tables had turned and he was now in my territory. The wound was still fresh. I wasted no time and took off as soon as I greeted them.
First of all, I had to confirm his identity and ensure that he catches a visual image of me leaving the scene. I waved at him and must have made sounds as I faded off into the horizon. Shortly thereafter, I was summoned back and we were given quite a tongue lashing. The proverbs on unity drove the point home and we opted to mend fences. To this day we remain best of friends even though in other regards we are polar opposites. He recently ran for political office. I on the other hand would much rather pull the strings from behind the curtains. In as much as we are different from each other, we complement each other and work well together.
On a spiritual level, our interconnectedness can be expressed via the unseen energy fields. Other scenarios might appear like mere coincidence. However, that might not be the case. Take for instance placing a call to someone and the first words they utter is that they were just about to call you. To some quarters, this example might appear flimsy at best reason being people can lie and a verification of this claim is next to impossible. People can claim that they were thinking of you in order to massage your ego. Authenticity of the claim notwithstanding, there is a spiritual connection in such instances.
A room can be filled with laughter and good cheer with or without alcohol at play. Out of the blues, an individual walks into the scene and the atmosphere changes. Suddenly, a level of unease creeps in and this can be attributed to the negative energy brought by the new kid on the block. A person seated on the extreme end of the room is as equally affected by the negative energy as the one seated next to the individual. This goes to illustrate our interconnectedness via energy. The opposite is true as well. A beautiful soul can light up a dull room with a cheery disposition.
For one reason or the other, parents have an uncanny ability of knowing when their children are in trouble. It’s a connection of sorts that can neither be explained nor wished away. My brother was taken ill one day. Being in a foreign land coupled with a tight schedule and other financial obligations made the situation that much harder. I had to make heads or tails of the situation. The last thing I wanted to do was to bother my parents who were tens of thousands miles away.
We used to speak sporadically. However, on this particular day my phone rang off the hook and no one had informed my folks what had transpired. They must have had a hunch that something was off. Any attempt to remain coy about the incident fell flat on its face. As soon as I mustered courage to pick the call which I had evaded for what seemed like eternity, even without the usual pleasantries, my mother asked how my brother was and I reluctantly spilled the beans. Lying is tantamount to tying oneself with a rope. Had I brushed her off and claimed that he was fine, she would have asked to speak to him. Also, one ought to be specific when placing a request to God since God seems to have a sense of humor. My prayer to handle the matter in-house was unequivocally answered. I should have excluded my parents even though they are in-house members as well.
In conclusion, the importance of unity as an offshoot of oneness cannot be emphasized enough. Usain Bolt holds the world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters race. On the other hand, the 4 x 100 meters relay world record of 36.84 seconds is held by a Jamaican team which includes Usain Bolt as well. The 36.84 seconds amongst the 4 translates to an average time of 9.21 seconds per person. The implication of this is that by working in a team, Usain Bolt possibly shaved off 0.37 seconds and ran faster than he could as an individual. Here is food for thought for the logical thinkers who prefer quantitative over qualitative evidence to substantiate a claim. We are one hence we reap the best results if we work as one. In closing, there is an Ethiopian proverb that states “When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion.” Couldn’t agree more.
Comments