Monday Meditation - We Inter-Are

Another great thought from The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh was something that really struck me.  He says in the book that we are "Inter-are".  

We are connected to each other more than we really think.  Just as we cannot take the soil out of the flower or the sunlight out of the flower we cannot remove others from ourselves. If we tried to take the sun away, the flower is no longer a flower.  We cannot separate the water from a wave.  We see the wave, we see the flower.  The flower without the sun would not be a flower.  It took me a while to see that no matter how hard I tried to remove myself from my family, they are still there.  A part of me.

I have the choice to stop the suffering. I do not have to participate in the negativity of the daily grind. I can stop. I can breathe.  I can learn that we are all connected and we - inter-are.  This was a massive lesson for me. If you have the opportunity I highly recommend listening to Thich Nhat Hanh speak. I'll add another video at the bottom of this entry. 

His poem gives a glimpse about what he means by we inter-are.

You are me, and I am you.
Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.
I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.  ~ by Thich Nhat Hanh (Link)