“In short, we need others for our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Without others we are nothing. Our sense that we are an island, an independent, self-sufficient individual, bears no relation to reality.”
– Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, How to Transform Your Life

Everything we have is made possible by other people. Indeed, everything we are, everything we do, say, and even think comes from others: our bodies (thank you, mom and dad!), our food, our knowledge, our language, our material resources, everything. There is nothing we have or can name that has not been provided to us by others.

Right now we don’t generally think this way. Due to what Buddha called our ignorance, or mistaken view, we feel we are distinct, separate individuals who don’t depend on anyone or anything.

In his book, How to Transform Your Life, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso writes, “It is closer to the truth to picture ourself as a cell in the vast body of life, distinct yet intimately bound up with all living beings. We cannot exist without others, and they in turn are affected by everything we do. The idea that it is possible to secure our own welfare while neglecting that of others, or even at the expense of others, is completely unrealistic.”

If we contemplate how interconnected we are with all living beings, we will naturally develop our appreciation of them; and we will feel more and more that we are part of a web of kindness. We will start to see ourself as surrounded by friends. Even if someone is difficult or challenges us, we will learn to appreciate what we might learn from them.

In this way, we will become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. In his book, Universal Compassion, Geshe Kelsang writes, “If we cherish others, we will avoid harming them with negative actions. Instead, we will practice positive actions of love, patience, and giving, and thereby create the cause to experience happiness and good fortune in the future.”

Being concerned about the welfare of others, loving them, appreciating them and having compassion for them isn’t just a nice idea, it’s logical. According to Buddha, there is no wisdom in living from the point of view of self concern only, thinking that we are special or more important than others. It is simply not in alignment with how things exist.

Check out this video, where Kadam Morten explores interconnectedness and love from the Buddhist point-of-view based on Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s teachings: