Equilibrium January 2005

If we did not fully understand the connectedness that we have to each other and to the earth, the effect of the tsunamis on millions of people in eleven countries bordering the Indian Ocean has demonstrated that connectedness. Who has not been touched in some way by this disaster?

At a very personal level, I had to wait four days before hearing that my eldest daughter and her husband, on vacation from Australia where they live, were in a part of Indonesia that was virtually untouched by the tsunami. Communication there is such that they had not even heard about it. My other daughter was due to travel to an island in Thailand, right in the one of the worst affected places later this month. She and her husband had thought of going at Christmas but changed their plans. This is how close to tragedy we are, perhaps at any time without realizing it.

The most obscene photograph I saw was the one printed in the Globe and Mail. A middle-aged couple sunbathed on the beach. She lay back, apparently enjoying the sun. He watched, while a few metres away dozens of local people rummaged through the rubble and detritus left of their homes. This is the face of disconnection. This is the symbol of how we have become separated from other people in the world who may appear far away, or different from us, or who have other beliefs, experiences and ways of life.

The hope that springs from this latest natural catastrophe must be that we learn to live in harmony with each other and with the earth. The outpouring of generosity from individuals and nations is an indication that we identify with the human tragedy that has befallen so many. Can we build on this? Harmony, peace and connectedness must start from within. When we feel those things, we are able to offer them to others.

This is what inspires me to continue to offer the tools that can provide us with those qualities. Inner peace, harmony and connectedness in each person will surely change the way we are in the world, and the world itself. It will not change the nature of the earth itself, including its natural tendency to develop causing such phenomena as earthquakes and floods, but it will enable us to live in harmony. Then we can use our resources to support each other instead of destroying each other.

I wish you all a happy, peaceful and fulfilled New Year.

Warren Redmannwww.EFitInstitute.com
1-866-310-3348 (EFit)n