Connectedness

We all see ourselves as seperate from the others around us, and in a physical sense I guess we are. When we see ourselves this way we have a tendency to judge people and events around us with a harshness that we would not want others to lavish on us without understanding us in the greater context. We seem to easily judge and think we understand others actions, but would never allow someone to make a judgement about us without some type of defense. I wonder how we could change the world around us if we understood that we are all connected? We are told that we are all connected

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28-29

How is it that we continue to make distinctions based on people being different than us? If we claim that we follow Christ I wonder how he treated those around him?

A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give me a drink of water?" (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.) John 4:7-9

It seems that Jesus was not worried about the differences in appearence, background, or any other reason that she was "seperate" from him. I really do not know what Jesus was seeing or thinking, but I wonder if he just saw a soul that he had created and placed here for a purpose that it was not fulfilling? He created all of us on this earth and placed spirit, "the breath of life," within each of us. We are all connected, we have all come from God, whether we say we are Christ followers or not. In mathematics, connectedness is used to refer to various properties meaning, in some sense, "all one piece". When a mathematical object has such a property, we say it is connected; otherwise it is disconnected. When a disconnected object can be split naturally into connected pieces, each piece is usually called a component (or connected component). We are all connected components of God, created by our Creator. If just Christ followers realized this and treated each person they encounter each day as someone they are connected to by spirit, Christian or not, maybe we could do as Christ asked:

I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." Luke 6:35-38

Try it today. See everyone you encounter as connected to you, having the same spirit of God, the "breath of life" in them. Do not treat them as an enemy, but as an eternal soul in need of love, grace, and kindness even though they may be at their worst today. It is what each of us expect at times from others. Be kind to the waiter at the restaurant who is not treating you as you think. Asked to help them and see if you don't have a wonderful dinner experience! Be kind to someone who is not driving as you think they should and see if your life does not run easier without that anger. Live as Christ each moment you can! Namaste'