On Monday I chatted from beside the Hearth about the physicists’ understanding of the relationships of all things. The famous Italian physicist (whose name I have to look up) was interviewed on NPR Monday morning. He had written a book that is becoming very popular, titled Seven Things About Physics in which he lays out the observation that all things exist only because of their relationships to the other things that exist. I want to explore the spiritual aspects of that science.
A famous American poet once wrote, “No man is an island, cut off from the continent of humanity….” Now physicists agree that everything in the universe is defined not by its intrinsic existence in isolation from all other things, but by its relationships to all other things. We can draw a lesson from this for all human beings. In this universe, relationships are the defining element for everything, including humans. We live in a society, not separate little universes.
Even a religious hermit relates to others, confessing with his or her sterets and meeting for liturgy from time to time. Most hermits replace face to face communication with the outside world with writing about their experiences in the journey to holiness for posterity. Our place in God’s plan is within the body of Christ, a relationship with each and every other cell in the body. Our satisfaction in life derives from our relationships with those around us.
When we see another human being in distress, it is a natural reaction to reach out to that one with the hand of aid. Only deadening of the soul of the observer would make it easy to walk past a person who is obviously in need of our help. You can see it in children who have not had their world shattered by evil adults. I define this tendency with the “L” word, love. The minimum reaction of love is to reach out a helping hand to others in need.
Saint John the Theologian wrote that God is love. Even atheists display the image of God within them when they relate in love to others around them, and they do. Yesterday on NPR a Christian comedian was interviewed in regards to his new television show. He related a story of debating his atheist friends on the existence of God, using ethics as an example. The atheist who answered the point said ethical treatment of others is a matter of respect for the person in question. I note that respect is a component of love.
Each of us is made with the capacity to love, and when we don’t exercise this capacity we become terribly depressed and mentally unhinged. Love is necessary for the spiritual, mental and even physical well being of every human being. We connect to the whole of the universe by our love for the persons near to us. Things that require our care and nurture, such as plants, pets and the environment, are examples of God’s love for His universe exercised through His surrogates, us.
I urge every one of my readers, practice love in your life for your own self improvement and well being.
In one of the last years of his life, one of my older brothers turned to Alcoholics Anonymous. It coincided with my re entry on my Faith Journey. As he learned the language of Greg Braden, and the power of a Higher Power, I was learning the language of metaphors and the power of the written word as it is in the Bible. The meanings were all alike, and I felt intense joy when E. declared that we are all transmitters. I felt, and still do, that being transmitters of love and light is the reason we are placed on this Earth. So many people rejected my brother, but he gave me a lasting memory and lesson. He was an angel at work for me.
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