What is Interconnectedness?
“The wonders of the universe are revealed to us in the meditation on interdependence. We can see that for one thing to exist, everything else also needs to exist.”
Often we think of “the good life” as something that is achieved individually, as if we alone can be responsible for our own happiness and fulfillment in life. However, philosophical wisdom from around the globe and modern research indicate that we are reliant on many factors outside our own skin to live enjoyable and meaningful lives. When it comes to living a meaningful life, our connectedness with others does not diminish the importance of our own thinking patterns and behaviors; instead, our well-being is determined by the interplay between external forces outside of our body, and how we interact with those forces. We refer to this interaction as interconnectedness—the inherent connection between all living and nonliving things.
We are not isolated objects interacting with other isolated objects. Instead, our very identity is tied to the plants and animals we eat, the workers who make our clothes and food, and the people who populate our home, country and world. Our being is tied to the insects that pollinate the trees that yield our fruit, shade us from the sun, and provide lumber for our houses. Recognizing and caring for these connections can enhance our own well-being and the well-being of the world around us.
This shared connection is illustrated in the quote below by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh:
“About thirty years ago I was looking for an English word to describe our deep interconnection with everything else. I liked the word “togetherness,” but I finally came up with the word “interbeing.” The verb “to be” can be misleading, because we cannot be by ourselves, alone. “To be” is always to “inter-be.” If we combine the prefix “inter” with the verb “to be,” we have a new verb, “inter-be.” To inter-be and the action of interbeing reflects reality more accurately. We inter-are with one another and with all life.”
Our bodies are a shared space. We prefer to think of ourselves as singular “I”s; however, each movement and breath we take is a shared effort. Thinking of our very bodies as a community striving for life can be liberating because it removes the pressure to perform and succeed on our own. This shared effort extends from the bacterial level within our body all the way to the communal and ecological level. We are connected to other people and objects at every level of our existence.
Ultimately, all of humanity is in this life together. We are dependent on each other and on our natural world for survival and flourishing. Recognizing and nourishing our inherent interconnectedness will lead to better lives for everyone. In the following sections of the module ,we will learn more about the scientific basis for interconnectedness, how interconnectedness operates in the various spheres of our lives, and how we can apply these principles to enable flourishing in our own lives and in the lives of all those we care about.