Sharing the space

Picture courtesy: http://bit.ly/17WLodw


Perhaps you had a long day. And perhaps you moved around a lot. Phone calls across continents. 
Emails across time zones. 

Words....Thoughts...Deeds...

In modern days, human beings need lot of space. We need lot of people. We need lot of claps. We need so many things... 

I thought about this today, making phone calls across timezones, emails and text messages crossing continents... my footprint is indeed global. My heart longs for another culture and space. I constantly, instantly visit these places and live vicariously. My footprint goes around the globe multiple times daily.

Today, I saw some earthworms. They were out very early in the season. May be it was because we don't have any snow on the ground. It made me think about the multiplicity of my needs. Not all the things I do are necessary.

The unexpected sight made me stop and think how I am sharing the space with thousands of creatures...a caterpillar, a leaf, a bee, and innumerable fascinating things...million raindrops, burst of sunshine, specks of dust. Each has its own space. Little space or large. And they each are content being themselves, in their space and leaf and immersed in the awareness of their life. That is the state I wish to hold and share the space of emerging friendliness towards all creatures.

How do you share your space?

The ties that bind us all

Take a look at this leaf.

Now take a deeper look at the leaf. What do you see?

Thich Nhat Hanh says:

"...when we look deeply into the leaf, we see many things. We can see the plant, we can see the sunshine, we can see the clouds, we can see the earth."

A leaf is also made of numerous cells and tissues. Each of these cells needs wind, water, and soil to grow. A leaf many not be in touch with the soil, may have no direct contact with the soil, but certainly it needs all the nutrients supplied by the soil. The needs of the leaf are reflected in its color, texture, and its health. A leaf can be said to represent the soil, the air, and the water that the plant grows in.

If we remove any one of these, there can be no leaf, no plant, nothing of substance to speak. This is clear to everyone. Or is it?

I can find no explanation regarding why humans are rapidly removing the forests. As an organism, it assimilates all the best things in nature and generously offer the fruits as tangible benefits. Share your thoughts on  why the human beings cut the forests. In a way, they are endangering their own lives....

What do you see when you see a leaf?