The Illusion Of Separateness

Keys and Doorways, Only In The Mind, Appearance and Source

Nothing has done more harm to the welfare of humanity than the illusion of separateness.

Keys and doorways:

Curiosity unlocks understanding, which opens the door to interconnectedness.

Without curiosity, division prevails.

Only in the mind:

We are all one. Only egos, beliefs, and fears separate us.

- Nikola Tesla

In essence, we are separated by stories, and when you erase those stories, what is left?

The shared impersonal blank canvas.

Appearance and source:

We are a wave appearing on the surface of the ocean.

- Thích Nhất Hạnh, The Art of Living

I say nothing has done more harm to the welfare of humanity than the illusion of separateness because of my direct experience and observation of loneliness, insecurity, and suffering arising from the misconception of being a separate, limited, and lacking individual.

Thankfully, we have natural teachers available to us, such as oceans, to help debunk illusions of separateness and point us back toward our shared essential nature.

As you observe a wave rise, it briefly appears as a finite individual body of water, and upon crashing, its temporary form disappears and returns to its infinite source. In reality, the wave is never separate from the ocean; it simply appears so based on the form it takes through the conditioned eyes of perception.

If you were sat on a coastline somewhere in the world, observing waves rise and fall, what would be ever-present? The same source from which all waves originate — water.

We feel separate because we are conditioned to identify solely with our bodies (waves), which is normal, given it’s much easier to comprehend that which is tangible. That said, if who we are is the body, why do we share the same universal ‘I’?

Security replaces worry and stress when we see that nothing exists separate from or independent of the whole.

The illusion of separateness is not only causing suffering on an individual level but also a societal scale.

When we perceive individuals or groups to be the same as us, we treat them as such — with love and kindness. Whereas, when we sense separateness, it often leads to a ‘you versus me and us versus them’ split, and you don’t need me to tell you about all the horrible ways that can play out.

There is no need to agree with or like everyone, but what can’t be denied is the shared essence of every human. The illusion of separateness dissolves when you go directly to the source.

I don’t suggest it’s an easy switch to flip, but like the ocean, the tide can turn.

Live Free,

Niall

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