Finding Oneness: Embracing Life's Flow Through Wisdom
Written on
The Beauty of Existence
On a pleasant spring afternoon, I found myself seated with my eyes shut and legs crossed, lost in meditation. A sudden tingling sensation in my forearm interrupted my thoughts. Before I could react to the small insect on my arm, I had a moment of clarity.
For a brief moment, I became absorbed in focused contemplation, drawn to a fly resting on my skin. The connection was profound, as the insect’s presence reminded me of the seamless unity between my arm and the tree at my feet.
“Look deep into nature, and you’ll understand everything better,” Albert Einstein's wisdom echoed in my mind. The more I observed the harmony of my forearm against the tree, the more insights unfolded. The fly, guided by instinct, could not differentiate between my arm and a branch, illustrating that all forms of life share a fundamental connection.
In the eyes of nature, a human limb and a tree trunk are indistinguishable. This insight reveals that understanding transcends mere knowledge. What I identify as “skin,” the tree perceives as bark, and the sap that flows within is akin to my blood.
As I sipped water, my hair brushed against the spiraling roots of the tree, which were also drawing moisture from the earth. As the tree absorbed carbon dioxide, I inhaled the essence of life itself. My laughter bubbled up at the thought of a tree exhaling oxygen, a gift that sustains our existence.
The cycle of life is beautifully reciprocal. When we exhale carbon dioxide, we provide nourishment for plants, which in turn produce the oxygen we need to thrive.
This is the awe-inspiring beauty of existence.
Living in a Unified Universe
“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of words.” Understanding the term "Universe" reveals its essence: "uni-" signifies oneness. As Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out, science recognizes all life as interconnected. Every being, from the aardvark to the zucchini, embodies a singular principle.
What is that principle? If each one of us shares one life and one love in a single world, then collectively, we are one being.
This truth lies at the heart of religion and the foundation of scientific thought. Einstein's famous equation underscores this idea: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
This suggests that life does not merely happen to us or for us; it flows through us.
The One and the Many
In the words of David Hume, “What is the greatest number? Number one.” A friend once lamented, “My life isn’t going as planned!” I responded, “If we share this life with billions of others, aren’t we all droplets in one ocean?”
“But this is my life,” she argued. Yet, I reminded her that what seems obvious can often be misleading.
Science reveals that the universe operates on a singular energy, which is the one manifested as many. Before Einstein, the notion of separate entities existing in isolation was considered obvious, but mathematics offered a different understanding.
Einstein’s insights highlight that a genius learns from past knowledge, discards the unnecessary, and reinterprets it for the present. Schopenhauer, one of Einstein's favorite philosophers, recognized the unity of thought in Eastern philosophies, stating, “All this is Brahman. That is one, without a second.”
The ultimate goal of Yoga, or “union with the One,” resonates across religions. This truth has been echoed through time:
- “The true yogi, with all passions subdued, is ONE with Brahman.” — Lord Krishna
- “Here, O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is ONE.” — Moses
- “Heaven means to be ONE with God.” — Confucius
- “If you open yourself, you are ONE with the Tao.” — Lao Tzu
- “The end of life is to be like God.” — Socrates
- “My Father and I are ONE.” — Jesus Christ
- “The ONEness of Allah.” — Prophet Muhammad
In 1929, Rabbi Goldstein asked Einstein if he believed in God. To this, Einstein replied succinctly, “I believe in Spinoza’s God,” a concept indicating that nothing exists apart from the One.
Let the theologians assert that one God cannot be created or destroyed, while physicists note that energy follows the same principle. Mathematicians recognize the number one as neither prime nor composite, reinforcing the idea that what is one cannot be created or destroyed.
Bertrand Russell aptly defined mathematics as the art of expressing the same idea in different terms. Nikola Tesla echoed this sentiment by stating, “What one man calls God, another calls the laws of physics.”
The Essence of Life
This life unfolds not merely to us or for us, but through us.
Nietzsche, before his philosophical pursuits, studied philology, which made him aware that holy texts and scientific theories are symbols representing reality rather than reality itself. The words we use are mere representations, functioning as symbols in a broader system.
Nietzsche described language as “a mobile army of metaphors.”
“The beginning of wisdom is a definition of words [symbols].”
As time progresses, we may uncover that symbols like “Life,” “God,” “Nature,” and “Universe” are interconnected, revealing a deeper truth shared among all.
This understanding clarifies why the Golden Rule is central to every religion. It highlights the wisdom in Socrates’ assertion that “sin” stems from a limited perspective, blinding us to the true target. A Buddhist monk’s carefulness in avoiding harm to a creature illustrates this profound awareness.
Returning to that insect, we share this one life. At our core, I am that insect, and that insect is me.
As we cultivate wisdom, we become more conscious of our actions, recognizing that true wisdom lies in understanding that life flows through us.
Ultimately, realizing that we do not live life, but that life lives us, encourages us to embody this wisdom in our daily actions. As Einstein beautifully put it, “I want to know [one] God’s thoughts — the rest are details.”
Mind Cafe’s Free Personal Development Community
We have recently launched a complimentary personal development community where over 600 individuals from around the globe support each other on their self-improvement journeys.
Click here to join.
The second video presents Eckhart Tolle's teachings on presence and transformation, offering insights on how to navigate life with awareness and authenticity.