The oneness of humanity is a biological fact. Now that the human genome has been unravelled it is indisputable that we are all one big, untidy, unhappy and disunited family.
So, though we might find it hard to live together, trying to dominate, eliminate or harm each other is about as logical as taking a dislike to one of your limbs and trying to get rid of it.
As Albert Einstein described it –
A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe”, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. (1)
(1) Letter of 1950, as quoted in The New York Times (29 March 1972) and The New York Post (28 November 1972).
Photograph – Unicef – NYMHo – 2009 – 0234/E ste v
Related articles
- One Same Substance: Consciously Creating a Global Culture of Unity – http://statements.bahai.org/01-0831.htm
- 20 Things You Didn’t Know About…: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About… DNA (discovermagazine.com)
- A human being is part of the whole… (brigitteofseon.wordpress.com)
- Only Two Ways (terri0729.wordpress.com)
- Thinking about Pull (laf.ee)
