Last week I wrote about resilience as a true measure of health and increasing resilience by deepening our connection to our personal identity, grounding in and drawing strength from knowing who you truly are and that no matter what happens, nothing can change that. Today I’m taking it one step further, expanding outward from personal to societal health.
“It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
David Bohm was a philosopher and physicist who wrote on the “Crisis of Perception.” He explained that we tend to think of things as separate from one another, but in his studies of quantum physics, he came to understand that at the molecular level everything is deeply interconnected. All problems, both personal and societal, are based on this Crisis of Perception, or our perception that everything exists individually, independently. And all problems could begin to be solved if we could see the interconnectedness of all things.
It can feel daunting and even overwhelming to even think about tackling very complex societal problems, but the hopeful message is this: we start in the exact same place, in the exact same way as we do when we address minuscule personal “problems” — by going within.
When we practice yoga, we deepen our awareness, uncover our truth, and remember. In doing this very intimate, personal work, we effect change around us. We start exactly where we are, as we are. We practice integrity, honesty, kindness, compassion, and trust that this is enough. As we step into our light, we contribute to a collective evolution and movement toward Truth.
“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.” — Thich Nhat Hahn
Krystal Barschig 