Oneness is
Oneness is a fundamental, creative force present in all life, empowered when individual consciousness recognizes and aligns with it.
When we experience oneness, we feel in the gut and in the heart that we are part of something beyond ourselves, that there is harmony and meaning in life, and that every human being and every aspect of existence is uniquely valuable. We live oneness through respect, compassion, cooperation, and creativity, which naturally support the most fundamental needs of life.
For centuries, oneness has been described as a spiritual experience and principle. In Taoism, oneness is the Tao, “the way” of life, which, like nature, has its own rhythms and patterns. Mahayana Buddhism trains its disciples to awaken from a solid, individual “self” into an infinite, intelligent oneness that is empty and compassionate. And in the New Testament, the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians describes “…one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in you all.”
Oneness as a spiritual ideal can seem daunting — as though we can only experience it after great effort. But oneness is not special — it’s special that we don’t live it more often. When we curb our natural response to help those in need, when we impose our will on nature instead of discovering how to work with it, when we choose to “get ahead” instead of finding meaning and dignity in our work — we undermine the natural, relational, and unifying power of oneness.
Most of us live oneness without even knowing it — in our private and family lives where we naturally seek and value empathy, care, love, and unity. But these same experiences, which create the foundations of our most important relationships, can also play a role in building the future structures of our global community.
