Deep Thoughts: Holy holistic holism!
Photo of a beautiful sunflower in the middle of a sunflower field.
Holism is the idea that everything in the universe is interconnected. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We are more than just the cells that make up our body. And we exist for more than the simple reason to exist.
We are here on this planet to work out our problems, both with ourselves and each other, and to understand who we are, to realize our inner purposes and to share our deepest gifts with the world. To do that requires us to live holistic lives where we are empowered, inspired and engaged.
Living a holistic life isn’t simply about being harmonious, peaceful or balanced. It isn’t simply about being a granola eating, tree hugging, hemp wearing hippie. Living a holistic life is more about living a full life, one in which we embrace all of who we are — our gifts and challenges, our strengths and weaknesses, and our light and shadow — because all of that makes us who we are. We grow stronger and wiser not by detaching ourselves from life to go mediate in solitude or by ignoring or burying parts of ourselves and our humanity that makes us uncomfortable. We grow stronger and wiser by staying fully present to who we are and by working through the myriad of challenges life throws our way.
In ancient spiritual traditions the lotus is a symbol of purity and divinity. It grows in muddy waters and yet its flowers are refined and unsullied. Similarly our path to wisdom and enlightenment takes us through the shadows of human existence. To know peace we have to know war. To know love we have to know hate. The entire spectrum of life in all its beauty and horror is where we exist.
Our greatest challenge in this life time is figuring out how we can live in this existence with an open heart from moment to moment and to allow our heart’s fullest expression to permeate through everything that we do regardless of what the universe throws our way. At its core this is what this blog is about.
Thank you and enjoy.
Henry
Very nice!