Seeing Ourselves in All: A Spiritual Perspective on the Unity of Life

Abstract

The concept of interconnectedness is rooted in both the science of ecology and the spiritual principle of the unity of life, which holds that the same “divine spark” of love is present in all life. By placing the welfare of the whole above self-interest, humans can live in harmony with the unity of life (Easwaran, 1989b). Two examples of interrelated harm to humans, animals, and the natural environment demonstrate that injury inflicted on any part of life hurts the whole. Cultural and religious maxims remind us that we experience the consequences of all our actions, and only nonviolence is consistent with the unity of life. Weil (2009) shows how to reduce our role in suffering by analyzing the web of connections surrounding social problems and making choices that do the most good and the least harm to all people, animals, and the natural environment.

Keywords:

• interconnectedness
• natural environment
• spirituality
• unity of life
• web of life