Day 12: Interdependence

In Buddhism, the concept of interdependence reminds us that we are all interconnected. Each one of our lives, is bolstered and boosted by thousands of unseen hands. Author Danielle LaPorte reminds of this in her Manifesto of Encouragement:

Someone is fighting the fight so that you don’t have to. Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

For most of us, many aspects of our lives are being taken care of by other people, behind the scenes. We get to reap the benefits without overthinking it. LaPorte also reminds us that this interconnectedness isn’t just about today, but also what’s to come:

Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life….

Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on. The next great song is being rehearsed….

Quite literally, many people are working on our behalf today so that our tomorrows will be better. Moreover, nearly all of our small enjoyments come through the involvement and engagement of other people. This is captured beautifully in a TED Talk by AJ Jacobs, called The Life Cycle of a Cup of Coffee. Jacobs speaks about wanting to thank everyone involved with making his morning cup of coffee. Ultimately, he realizes the trail of people that leads back to one cup of coffee is endless…

So today as you practice, consider all the unseen hands involved in supporting the good in our lives. Here are some questions to consider:

• Who are the unseen people making your life better? Who are the people helping to produce, create, sell or transport, what you eat, wear, consume, enjoy, etc? No doubt, it’s a long list!