On Human Connection – A Reading from Savage Grace
Savage Grace, Women’s Moon Aug 2018
Individualism and isolation are two aspects of what has created our predicament. Inherent in colonization is the notion of separation. We cannot overemphasize the reality that resilience is impossible without reconnection. As we navigate the global crisis in its myriad forms, we desperately need each other.
. . . Even in situations of extreme poverty, people often retain their dignity and their desire to help one another . . . As we constantly encounter individuals who are waking up to the crisis, the most frequent complaint we hear is hunger for community. In our colonized, civilized state, we find ourselves longing for connection with others, yet so often we are alone in what we know — so many others cannot allow themselves to know. And often, when we do connect deeply with allies who are astutely aware of the global crisis, we find ourselves almost needing to “re-learn” how to create and maintain the connection.
Frequently, individuals who live in or have lived in intentional communities tell us that emotional intimacy is so difficult for members of industrial civilization that in those communities, significant amounts of time are devoted to processing the emotional issues that arise from simply living together.
Yet, working with the challenges of relating harmoniously with others can profoundly open our hearts and expand our capacity for demonstrating compassion, patience and going beyond the individualism imposed by colonization.
What if we find ourselves living in a dramatically impoverished, polluted, chaotic world in which all of the systems that hold society in place have collapsed?
What if we find ourselves surrounded by violence and wounded, hostile, suspicious people who find it nearly impossible to trust anyone? What if we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic or a natural disaster in which most individuals around us are sick, injured, or even psychotic? . . . we may find ourselves in a situation in which we are called to demonstrate love in action even when we have no idea how we will do so. Our one hope of staying sane and focused on service will depend on how skillfully we have evolved our community.
Individualism and isolation are two aspects of what has created our predicament. Inherent in colonization is the notion of separation. We cannot overemphasize the reality that resilience is impossible without reconnection. As we navigate the global crisis in its myriad forms, we desperately need each other.
