We have all walked with empathy and sympathy to varying degrees.
Although sympathy is traditionally defined as a feeling of pity and
sorrow for others' misfortune, I've grown to understand it in terms of
support, harmony and fellowship - giving or receiving. Sympathy is an
acknowledgment of emotional hardship along with the provision of comfort
and assurance. Empathy, on the other
hand, is understanding what others are feeling because you have
experienced it yourself or can put yourself in their shoes. Both
indicate attunement. Both facilitate the free flow of life energy
between energetic beings. It is being open to the way everyone and
everything around us feels - observing and then deciding what we want to
do with that sensory input. Empathy and sympathy serve as an access
point to the more subtly communicated or guarded aspects of one another
and the bigger picture we are a part of. They bond us.
We are often inundated by our senses. It can seem quite burdensome and exhausting in some instances and invigorating in others. The feeling realizations that we arrive at are like the ocean, with waves cresting and bottoming out or with tides ebbing and flowing continuously. That push and pull is very real. We develop ways of managing the uninterrupted stream of input. Some people block themselves off entirely, some build elaborate defenses, some are inspired by and channel it, some reroute it, some filter the desirable from the not so, some unconsciously own it (to both their benefit/detriment and others'), some gleefully drift in it and allow it to wash over them, and some of us absorb and transmute it. We all dabble in some way or another as there is no way for us to avoid its presence and effect. Our attunement, no matter the state or our current understanding and use of it, is a fundamental aspect of our Being. We are connected sensitive beings. I do not feel that there is any way to physiologically detach yourself from what you are inherently a part of, however, there are numerous ways that we attempt to do so intellectually and psychologically.
Let's just say there's something to this. Nothing to dispute. Simply acknowledge our interconnectedness; lend yourself to it and see what is reaped. You are a part of a marvelous Mystery, no more nor less than any other aspect of It's being. One aspect (e.g. star, planet, environment, plant, animal, insect, microorganism or human) is no more entitled than another; all are here. It is where we have been placed. It is a shared experience and sacred space - something worth keeping at the forefront of our minds in our treatment of all persons and things. We are created, drawn, and evolve together. I once read the following:
To be accountable to one-another is no different than to be accountable to oneself; each self is oneself. There is a reason that a great deal of satisfaction is derived from our service to one-another and our beloved planet. The reason it feels so right is because you are healing and serving the very body that you are a part of. You are opening your self to and encouraging the free flow of life energy between the seemingly unrelated parts of the Body of Life; a Body that extends beyond the vastness of our intellectual and technological grasp. You are encouraging the health, well-being, and development of the whole. You are contributing to the evolution of our Greater Self. Upon realizing your integrative state of being you might feel shame, the crushing weight of responsibility, fear, relief, satisfaction or a resurgence of some much needed confidence and peace-of-mind. Whatever is felt, be with those feelings and then find solace in that you are the provision and provided for.
The moment you become aware of our interconnectedness - not merely at the level of your conceptual or intellectual understanding, but as a feeling realization - you have plugged in. It is up to you, at that point, to decide whether you'd like to further investigate that mystery and discern your unique role amidst it. At this crossroads we either decide to exercise openness or regress toward our previous state of illusory separateness and the conflict & isolation that accompanies it. The latter, however, is like removing a dam - so that the steady flow of fresh water that is essential to the health and survival of ecosystems can do as is intended - only to rebuild the dam after having realized the importance of that flow.
Whatever we decide, it will assuredly affect all. That is simply the nature of our and everything else's relationship. To each decision is a consequence. You could no more expect for your body to function optimally without its intended parts than the Body of Life to function optimally without its. Parts in poor condition, aging or broken parts, and parts that don't work well together will also affect the way the Body functions. Whether you want to be or not, you are a part of that Body. You are literally a tiny life form that is a part of a universe. The question is whether you'd like to keep devoting all your time & energy to pretending that it isn't so, to fighting it, being unreasonable with it, thus denying the very source of your existence; that bigger picture that is the wellspring of everything you experience. One way we do this is by allowing our sense of individuality and human exceptionalism to desensitize us to the underlying interdependence that is shared by everything in existence (i.e. we only exist as we do due to the accessibility and condition of what we rely upon for said existence). Other ways we deny ourselves are by refusing to share, by being dishonest with ourselves and others, by behaving insensitively to each other and the parts of our Greater Self that are not human forms of being, and by thinking and saying things that contribute to the growth of a collective negative energy field that anchors us to a state of developmental stagnation. Since much of what we do is rooted in what we think, feel, and communicate it is important not to underestimate the power of these behaviors and to manage them responsibly.
Challenge yourself to be honest and open with those closest to you and to be sensitive and receptive to everything. Remember you are exercising your attunement, that is your ability to facilitate the free flow of life energy between yourself and other energetic beings. Although seemingly insignificant, we are infinitely important. When you begin to genuinely feel that interconnectedness you will inevitably reap the benefits of the profundity of that oneness; you will no longer be that part of the body that has closed itself off from the Flow or sequestered itself from Itself. The heart of existence will proceed to give you what you need, just as your heart and arteries - in the absence of blockages - carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body. To abuse, be insensitive to, curse, dissociate, disregard, humiliate, spurn, trivialize and wage war on anything within the realm of existence is to do so to your self. It is self-destructive. Will we continue to be so?
Be Well, Loved Ones...
Albert
We are often inundated by our senses. It can seem quite burdensome and exhausting in some instances and invigorating in others. The feeling realizations that we arrive at are like the ocean, with waves cresting and bottoming out or with tides ebbing and flowing continuously. That push and pull is very real. We develop ways of managing the uninterrupted stream of input. Some people block themselves off entirely, some build elaborate defenses, some are inspired by and channel it, some reroute it, some filter the desirable from the not so, some unconsciously own it (to both their benefit/detriment and others'), some gleefully drift in it and allow it to wash over them, and some of us absorb and transmute it. We all dabble in some way or another as there is no way for us to avoid its presence and effect. Our attunement, no matter the state or our current understanding and use of it, is a fundamental aspect of our Being. We are connected sensitive beings. I do not feel that there is any way to physiologically detach yourself from what you are inherently a part of, however, there are numerous ways that we attempt to do so intellectually and psychologically.
Let's just say there's something to this. Nothing to dispute. Simply acknowledge our interconnectedness; lend yourself to it and see what is reaped. You are a part of a marvelous Mystery, no more nor less than any other aspect of It's being. One aspect (e.g. star, planet, environment, plant, animal, insect, microorganism or human) is no more entitled than another; all are here. It is where we have been placed. It is a shared experience and sacred space - something worth keeping at the forefront of our minds in our treatment of all persons and things. We are created, drawn, and evolve together. I once read the following:
"We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured." (Feel free to omit or substitute the term God if it makes it easier for you to remain open to where the quote points in the direction of).
To be accountable to one-another is no different than to be accountable to oneself; each self is oneself. There is a reason that a great deal of satisfaction is derived from our service to one-another and our beloved planet. The reason it feels so right is because you are healing and serving the very body that you are a part of. You are opening your self to and encouraging the free flow of life energy between the seemingly unrelated parts of the Body of Life; a Body that extends beyond the vastness of our intellectual and technological grasp. You are encouraging the health, well-being, and development of the whole. You are contributing to the evolution of our Greater Self. Upon realizing your integrative state of being you might feel shame, the crushing weight of responsibility, fear, relief, satisfaction or a resurgence of some much needed confidence and peace-of-mind. Whatever is felt, be with those feelings and then find solace in that you are the provision and provided for.
The moment you become aware of our interconnectedness - not merely at the level of your conceptual or intellectual understanding, but as a feeling realization - you have plugged in. It is up to you, at that point, to decide whether you'd like to further investigate that mystery and discern your unique role amidst it. At this crossroads we either decide to exercise openness or regress toward our previous state of illusory separateness and the conflict & isolation that accompanies it. The latter, however, is like removing a dam - so that the steady flow of fresh water that is essential to the health and survival of ecosystems can do as is intended - only to rebuild the dam after having realized the importance of that flow.
Whatever we decide, it will assuredly affect all. That is simply the nature of our and everything else's relationship. To each decision is a consequence. You could no more expect for your body to function optimally without its intended parts than the Body of Life to function optimally without its. Parts in poor condition, aging or broken parts, and parts that don't work well together will also affect the way the Body functions. Whether you want to be or not, you are a part of that Body. You are literally a tiny life form that is a part of a universe. The question is whether you'd like to keep devoting all your time & energy to pretending that it isn't so, to fighting it, being unreasonable with it, thus denying the very source of your existence; that bigger picture that is the wellspring of everything you experience. One way we do this is by allowing our sense of individuality and human exceptionalism to desensitize us to the underlying interdependence that is shared by everything in existence (i.e. we only exist as we do due to the accessibility and condition of what we rely upon for said existence). Other ways we deny ourselves are by refusing to share, by being dishonest with ourselves and others, by behaving insensitively to each other and the parts of our Greater Self that are not human forms of being, and by thinking and saying things that contribute to the growth of a collective negative energy field that anchors us to a state of developmental stagnation. Since much of what we do is rooted in what we think, feel, and communicate it is important not to underestimate the power of these behaviors and to manage them responsibly.
Challenge yourself to be honest and open with those closest to you and to be sensitive and receptive to everything. Remember you are exercising your attunement, that is your ability to facilitate the free flow of life energy between yourself and other energetic beings. Although seemingly insignificant, we are infinitely important. When you begin to genuinely feel that interconnectedness you will inevitably reap the benefits of the profundity of that oneness; you will no longer be that part of the body that has closed itself off from the Flow or sequestered itself from Itself. The heart of existence will proceed to give you what you need, just as your heart and arteries - in the absence of blockages - carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body. To abuse, be insensitive to, curse, dissociate, disregard, humiliate, spurn, trivialize and wage war on anything within the realm of existence is to do so to your self. It is self-destructive. Will we continue to be so?
Be Well, Loved Ones...
Albert
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