We are all one

St. Francis of Assisi saw all creation as brother and sister and bearing the imprint of the Most High. That’s an abstract concept and not easily seen or even practiced. Tonight I heard a fellow speak of DNA and how we’re all comprised of the same elements. Not long ago while reading a book by Thich Nhat Hanh he spoke of looking deeply and seeing ancestors in each of us and all of us. There is an interconnectedness to us that is divinely ordained. We are all interconnected so that one of us suffers we all suffer. When one of us rejoices we all rejoice and no one can live without the support of another. Individuality and rugged individualism is an abstract concept that doesn’t bear itself out in the real world. There is a karmic interconnectedness to to all creation and creation includes everything. There is nothing that is not part of creation. No one and no thing operates on its own.

Today at work I heard of a tragic event that is about to befall a young member of our faculty. This young person has lost their position for next year. I know that happens all the time. People get jobs, lose them find other positions and move on. However this person requires immediate surgery to correct an acute problem. This individual will miss more work time than their accumulated sick time. Co-workers have agreed to donate sick days to make up the difference. Our manager is not allowing it. This person is married to a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Is this how we treat the spouses of our military veterans? There are no easy answers and I believe that prayer and faith can move mountains. Therefore I’m asking that you pray that the will of the Most High will be done and that the hearts of management are softened. When one of us suffers we all suffer. When one of us rejoices we all rejoice.