The Interconnectedness of Things.

Little foreword/disclaimer for the series and blog in general.

This is an exploration of ideas based on the knowledge I have gained over time, through experience, through my studies. It is obviously not the only perspective, nor necessarily the correct perspective. It may not even be my perspective in the future. We all have different lived experiences, life circumstances, genetic makeups, pasts, presents and futures. All of which are valid, valuable and hold meaning. If things resonate, now or one day down the track, great. If not, that’s totally okay. Please feel free to take what you read with a grain of salt. This is a daunting next step. Expressing myself authentically into the world is scary and hasn’t really been accessible until recently.

Welcome to Heal & Grow Wellbeing, The Blog, and this introductory/foundational series; ‘The Interconnectedness of Things’. You’ll get the gist pretty early on. My hope is that it will help to set the foundation for what is to come. Not that I’m fully aware of what that is just yet.

Anyway, here goes.

The Interconnectedness of Things.

Part One.

One needn’t dig far beneath the surface to uncover that Earth and her many inhabitants are inextricably intertwined. The cyclical nature of nature-itself proves this beyond a reasonable doubt. Most of us are taught, early on, that animals inhale what plants breathe out. That over time, dead plant matter and animal waste break down to become a balanced fertiliser to help ecosystems thrive. To quote Mufasa - “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.” “When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.”

This balance or equilibrium is the foundation of new growth. It sets the stage for the next cycle of evolution.

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The unadulterated natural world offers a picture of object harmony, a glowing example of synergy. We know that each living organism and every element has an integral role in the overall working mechanism. An important part to play in the grander scheme of things. Not so long ago this truth was reflected in our surroundings but as civilisation has encroached further upon native bushland, an image of ecological imbalance has become more prominent. Introduced species such as blackberries, pine and pittosporum are running rampant in my local area and strangling indigenous plant populations. And, cute as they might be, it’s sadly far more commonplace to see rabbits, foxes and white cabbage moth than any of the natural inhabitants.

“Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

For me, spirituality has less to do with beings moving through alternate planes of existence (though I’m not closed off to the idea) and more to do with the unfolding relationship of each individual to themselves, and our unique connection to the world around us all, both physically and metaphorically.

“The wisest and noblest teacher is nature itself.” -Leonardo Da Vinci

Supposing one or more theories of evolution are true, the human organism, body and mind, is the culmination of billions of minute adaptations across time. We are the pinnacle of the natural world as we know it. We certainly play a pivotal role and are seemingly the most influential component. Still, it is understandable, as individuals, to feel a disconnect from the whirling collectivism that keeps the world turning given that one of the many qualities that sets us apart, from the rest of life on Earth, is our ability to step back and observe it. And it is this ability to observe, to hypothesise, experiment and study the world that enables us to manipulate our surroundings for our benefit.

Long before time was conceptualised, our prehistoric ancestors fashioned tools from bone, wood and stone to revolutionise their hunter gatherer way of life. One can only guess what may have crossed an early hominid’s mind, if anything, when the first flame was lit. History is shrouded in a mystery we will never fully unravel, yet historians have managed to construct a somewhat-linear understanding of how we came to be. Piecing together artifacts from our distant past; literature, tools, artwork and architecture, that tell a story of the miraculous ingenuity of the human species. One that spans the globe, connecting us all in ways that can’t be fully fathomed. Our language, our culture, societal structure, spirit, creativity and collective psyche are embedded within these markers of antiquity. Evidence that; for eons, individuals have taken inspiration from the miracles of life to invent, philosophise, create and design.

Analogistic stories of Ancient Greek Mythology, the God’s moving through starry nights’ skies, after millennia remain relevant to today’s human struggle. Ancient artwork and architecture, having stood the test of time, inspires disbelief. Demonstrating the genius individuals are capable of and the power of collaboration. History has seen civilisations, nations and empires rise, flourish and succeed when they adopt an anthill mentality; working in synergy to meet common goals, each person fulfilling a specific role, and in contrast, flop and fall when fixation on individual interests outweigh the greater good. It is an intricate intermingling of individual and collective influence that drives human progression. Society’s trajectory is continually being shaped by the combined/opposing forces of the two. Each becoming more or less prominent as time goes on and we shift, back and forth, like a pendulum swinging between polarities on its way to a state of equilibrium.

Eastern philosophy is typically associated with a collectivist mindset while the West is deemed more individually focused. Propping up the individual has supported the proliferation of scientific discovery. It is the ‘Western’ mindset, driven by logic, reason and competition for resources, that is largely responsible for the early technological and medical advancements that enabled humanity to survive and prosper. Human resourcefulness, fuelled by an innate drive to better our circumstances, is inarguably unparalleled. So too however, is the destruction of environment, culture and human life that has paved the road to where we stand. Overlooking humanity, in favour of collective progression, may have held us in relatively good stead evolutionarily speaking. We are still here. But a globalist viewpoint does not negate the atrocities that seeded the clouds of dysfunction cast over society still.

The Late Middle Ages’ bubonic plague brought about the death of an estimated one third of Europe’s population, malnutrition a likely comorbidity. Famine was widespread and the magnitude of suffering over this time period unimaginable.

“Our need will be the real creator.” – Plato

Understandably such an event altered the trajectory of humanity and create it did. After some recovery time, resourcefulness in the west kicked up a notch. First with the innovation of farming tools and a few basic machines to make the job more efficient. In the 17th century, new understanding of crop rotation, meant a huge increase in food production for both people and livestock. More food lead to population growth. Landowners became wealthier and thus able to acquire more land, pushing farmers who previously worked on crown land out of jobs. With less need for workers in the field, a migration from rural to metropolitan areas ensued. By the mid 18th century, manufacturing was becoming more centralised, due to technology advancements and the demand for factory workers increased. Those who once toiled in the earth began working in cities and the industrial revolution steamed ahead.

Disconnect from the land coupled with population growth, prompted by the industrial revolution, contributed to the first massive increase in employment of natural resources and a radical shift in relationship to our environment. No longer part of us, the earth became a resource to be tapped. Unsurprisingly, this perspective shift coincided with the birth of Capitalism.   

With a heavy focus on material gain, born out of fear of lack, the compulsion to acquire more would have been easy to rationalise. More spiritually developed cultures, with different values, were no match for panic with gunfire and thus ancient civilisations, around the globe, were all but wiped out. The cracks beginning to form between humanity and the Earth swiftly became a chasm. Fear and loss of faith in the ability for the earth to provide may have contributed to the centuries-long detour away from traditional practices. But who knows where we would have ended up without the wounded proclivity for compartmentalisation, the need to understand, to dissect the world, to take matters into our own hands and develop modern medicine.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  - George Santayana

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Coincidence or not, as science continues to evolve and the push for females in STEM finds success, the scientific ego appears to be gradually dissolving. Traditional healing methods are being researched, mind-body practices and herbal medicine incorporated into holistic healthcare practice. Ideas and information are able to be shared in ways they never have before. The swift changes brought about by social media have increased awareness about mental health, injustice, the insidiousness of abuse and the many spectrums upon which we exist. Humanity’s dark undercurrents are seeping into public awareness and we are being confronted by the truth of what it is to be human. The ‘us vs them’ mentality is no longer compelling. In this more transparent social climate we are all implicated. As suffering reaches peak visibility, the old strategies; avoidance, rejection and denial, are becoming outdated.

“Denial is the shock absorber for the soul. It protects us until we are equipped to deal with reality.” – C.S. Lewis

As we become more educated about human psychology, continue to unravel our mind-boggling biology and learn more about the plight of First Nations Peoples, we are coming to understand the influence our past experiences have on the present day. We are beginning to grasp the global impact of trauma; individually, generationally, culturally, collectively, and how it perpetuates itself.

“Trauma is now our most urgent public health issue, and we have the knowledge necessary to respond effectively. The choice is ours to act on what we know.” – Bessel Vanderkolk

We have a tendency to project, to point the finger at others for not doing their bit, for not taking a stance that aligns with ours, for not being perfect.

“We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings” – Albert Einstein

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Being human is to exist in a state of flux between opposing truths. Being and doing is another prime example. Although we are innately driven to consume, to seek out answers and to defend ourselves, the act of ‘being’ requires us to forgo such actions and become comfortable with the unknowable. Being requires removal of distractions, quieting the mind and letting down our guard to become present in the moment. But as simple as it sounds, for many, the state of presence is not accessible. Trauma, physical and emotional pain, dissatisfaction or discomfort, can cause us to detach from our bodies. This disconnect is the reality for the majority of people, to varying degrees, and a massive contributing factor to most societal issues.

In psychology, comfort refers to a sense of physical and psychological ease. Comfort within promotes relaxation, and helps to shift our nervous system from ‘fight or flight’ to ‘rest and digest’, which is critical for all bodily functions working to keep us in homeostasis (this topic will be explored in way more depth in the next series ‘Getting Grounded’). Historically comfort was something most had to work hard to attain and so the high value attributed to it, in most parts of the world, make sense. There is no denying that nice things, like a warm comfortable bed, can considerably contribute to our comfort level, but despite what creature comforts life can afford us, we can never be truly comfortable without feeling safe and at home in our bodies. What is less valued in society is discomfort. We can become too comfortable, conditioned to certain ways of being or doing, that are unhelpful. That will inevitably lead to us finding ourselves in situations, towards the other end of the spectrum, experiencing physical and psychological disease, where discomfort becomes a kind of signal guiding us back to equilibrium. Solidifying any form of habit change takes stepping out of our comfort zone. The further we step out, the deeper we step into ourselves, the more clarity we gain around our position in the world. We begin to see that the disconnect we are experiencing from our earth, the discomfort and disconnect in relating to our bodies, the dissociation from ourselves and our shadows, perpetuating dysfunction and behaviour that neither supports our best interests nor those of the greater good, are all connected. That while adversity is awful, it serves a purpose. It is an essential part of the evolutionarily process. Adversity helps to widen our scope of experience, it expands and exhausts our potential to make mistakes. It provides opportunities for us to gather information and learn the lessons necessary to understand what adaptation it might require to eventually restore balance.

“All human behaviour has a reason. All behaviour is solving a problem” -Michael Crichton

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There is understandably a lot of fear and distress regarding what is going on in the world, the need for change becoming ever present. But realistically, what is going on has always been, we are just becoming privy to it. We are still evolving and, as yet, have never been equipped to solve the World’s problems. However, things have always been improving and they still are. We now understand where the problems stem from. History has shown what can happen when we live in fear, we lose our stability, our moral compass, our connection to our body, ourselves, and access to the deeper truths reflected to us through the macrocosm of society and the wider world. Panic is a trauma response, it unbalances us. Equilibrium is where healthy growth starts.

As the collective swings between opposing influences as it has always done, we can choose to step away and find our own equilibrium. Opposing truths can co-exist, there’s no need to latch onto one.

“History has always been a series of pendulum swings, but the individual doesn’t have to get caught in that” – Robert Johnson

Inevitably we will keep changing as we heal and grow. We will always be unique yet intricately interwoven with each other and the wider world. No two experiences, nor perspectives will ever be the same yet we can relate on some level to all human beings, past, present and future. We all have an important part to play in the grander scheme of things, whether that be raising the next generation to be healthier than ours or making some other kind of contribution.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. We know that trauma perpetuates itself. History is evidence enough of that. The ACES study, has more than backed that up with scientific evidence. It causes disconnect from the body, the body being a representation of the self. It initiates a domino effect, increasing incidents of mental illness, disease and recurrent traumatic experiences. It only makes sense that its opposite would have the opposite effect. Healing, re-establishing connection to our bodies and ourselves perpetuates it. Not everyone in the world is in a position of enough privilege to focus their energy towards healing.

TO BE CONTINUED