The New And Ancient Story Of Interbeing, by Charles Eisenstein

Povestea nouă și antică a coexistenței interdependente
— de Charles Eisenstein

De ce strălucește soarele? Un rezultat aleatoriu al gazelor coalescente care provoacă fuziunea nucleară? Sau este pentru a da lumină și căldură vieții? De ce cade ploaia? Este produsul lipsit de sens al proceselor chimice aleatoare de evaporare și condensare? Sau este vorba de a iriga viața? De ce căutați să vă vărsați cântecul? Este pentru a arăta capacitatea dumneavoastră genetică de a atrage un partener, sau este de a contribui la o lume mai frumoasă? Ne putem teme de aceste prime răspunsuri, dar este al doilea care poartă inelul adevărului.

Fiecare cultură, în măsura în care știu, are ceva pe care eu îl numesc Povestea Lumii. Această poveste este o țesătură de mituri, sensuri, narațiuni, cuvinte, simboluri, ritualuri și înțelegeri care împreună definesc lumea. Această poveste ne spune cine suntem, cum să fim bărbați sau femei, ce este important și valoros, ce este real, ce este sacru, ce rol și scop al omenirii este pe pământ.
Cultura dominantă a lumii, cea numită modernă, are și o poveste despre lume. Eu îi spun povestea separării. Este povestea care ne ține ca indivizi separați și ține umanitatea separată de natură. Aici, dăruirea nu vine în mod natural. De fapt, acea poveste spune că natura noastră implicită este egoismul, până la nivelul genetic. Dacă sunt separat de tine, atunci mai mult pentru mine este mai puțin pentru tine.

În povestea separării, încrederea nu vine în mod natural. Lumea este adversarul nostru, plin de alți indivizi separați, umani și de altă natură, pe care trebuie să îi depășim pentru a avea o viață bună — câini, germeni, ruși, orice. Dincolo de aceasta, forțele naturii sunt și adversari, pentru că sunt complet aleatorii, iar întregul univers tinde spre entropie. Nu există inteligență sau scop în afara noastră. Prin urmare, pentru a stabili o locuință umană confortabilă în lume, trebuie să dominăm și să controlam aceste forțe, să ne izolăm de ele și să le valorificăm în scopurile noastre. Asta spune povestea separării.

Unde există loc de recunoștință în această poveste? Unde este loc pentru cadou? În povestea separării trebuie să vă ridicați deasupra naturii umane, să vă ridicați deasupra felului lumii, să fiți mărinimos, generos sau altruist. A deveni o persoană bună, implică un fel de cucerire, o cucerire de sine. Este aceeași dominație a naturii, dar de data aceasta întoarsă către interior.

Acum trebuie să spun că această poveste devine rapid depășită. Chiar și dimensiunea ei științifică în genetică, fizică și biologie se destramă. În teoria complexității, înțelegem că ordinea poate emerge spontan din haos, fără o forță de organizare externă. În ecologie, înțelegem că bunăstarea unuia este inseparabilă de bunăstarea tuturor. Așa că lasă-mă să vorbesc despre dar, generozitate și recunoștință din perspectiva unei alte povestiri, a unei povestiri noi și vechi pe care îmi place să o numesc coexistență interdependentă.

În povestea coexistenței interdependente, viața este un dar. Lumea și tot ce se află în ea este un dar. Nu ne-am câștigat viața. Nu am câștigat soarele; nu strălucește datorită eforturilor noastre grele. Nu am câștigat capacitatea plantelor de a crește. Nu am câștigat apă. Nu ne-am câștigat concepția și nici respirația noastră. Inimile noastre au bătut și ficatul nostru metabolizează totul pe cont propriu. Viața este un dar.

Semnificația întrebărilor pentru reflecție: Ce faceți din noțiunea de ‘coexistență interdependentă’? Poți împărtăși o poveste personală despre un timp în care ai simțit că lumea și tot ce e în ea este un dar? Ce vă ajută să trăiți în recunoștință pentru viață?

Charles Eisenstein este un autor care încurajează o cultură de cadouri.

Charles Eisenstein is an author who encourages a gift culture. This excerpt was from a blog post.

Seed Questions for Reflection

What do you make of the notion of 'interbeing'? Can you share a personal story of a time you felt that the world and everything in it is a gift? What helps you to live in gratitude for life?

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Add Your Reflection

9 Past Reflections

sandip sheta

Dec 6, 2018

Life is Gift

live life “SAHAJ”

Jodyne

Dec 5, 2018

What do you make of the notion of 'interbeing'? The way I see myself is that I am light/alive. When I was a VERY young person, just born, I opened my eyes and looked around, curiosity filled my innermost being and I enjoyed the moment - being touched by gentle hands, feeling the cool air and warmth of my mother. And although I was wordless, and knew no language in the concept of knowledge, I could communicate. I could receive information and I could express or share it as well. I was completely authentic - if I was hungry I let it be known. If I was cold or uncomfortable I let it be known. But as I grew I was immersed into culture and knowledge. First spoken words and then visual words had meanings [established by culture] and I learned them from my parents and those around me. In this way I was culturized. . And I learned to please others, to live for others, to make them happy. And I enjoyed to see them happy. I learned that if I did not... View full comment

What do you make of the notion of 'interbeing'?

The way I see myself is that I am light/alive. When I was a VERY young person, just born, I opened my eyes and looked around, curiosity filled my innermost being and I enjoyed the moment - being touched by gentle hands, feeling the cool air and warmth of my mother. And although I was wordless, and knew no language in the concept of knowledge, I could communicate. I could receive information and I could express or share it as well. I was completely authentic - if I was hungry I let it be known. If I was cold or uncomfortable I let it be known.

But as I grew I was immersed into culture and knowledge. First spoken words and then visual words had meanings [established by culture] and I learned them from my parents and those around me. In this way I was culturized. . And I learned to please others, to live for others, to make them happy. And I enjoyed to see them happy. I learned that if I did not live to make them happy I was punished. THIS whole PROCESS is what I call DOMESTICATION. When I live like this I forget who I really am as I put on a show and act in ways to show or to prove to others I was as they desired me to be. I became an actor or an actress.

To become who I really am I need to pay attention to who I really am deep inside of myself and forget my training, and see beyond who others want me to be.

Can you share a personal story of a time you felt that the world and everything in it is a gift?

The first thing that comes to my mind is my early childhood experiences roughly from the ages of 4-13. During this time I had frequent exposure to Mother Earth and natural things, I believe this exposure reassured me of my true nature and being. It kept me grounded, and in touch with natural rhythms of life, I cant help but know that I am a part of all this life around me. What became increasingly uncomfortable was when I immersed myself among fellow [human] beings and it was more often hurtful and painful then enjoyable; esp because my birth family were quite dysfunctional socially. Relating with other humans I experienced as less predictable; and it was 'in this world' that I realized I had to put on a mask, and act or pretend not to be who I really was. I had to be who others expected me to be.

The older I became I begin to realize that after these confusing and sometimes tense and stressful interactions I felt drawn to the natural world where I realized my place in it [was predictable and REAL).

What helps you to live in gratitude for life?

To remember my Creator, and my place in the universe. And to remember to be authentic, real.. my self!

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RaviKumar M

Dec 4, 2018

Our breath goes involuntary to keep our life continue.And all our limbs and consciousness are made in a way to help us.It is all beautiful blending.Total nature-animate and inanimate by the source is amazing and It gives a feeling of interbeing and one ness in total creation.How wonderful life and if this is followed there will not be differences,anger,mistrust,pollution and wars.Thiis is not a baffling theory and only we have to introspect inwards and listen to the heart.Then it gives ecstacy and total world will be a Joyfulness presentation to us.
Regards,

M.Ravi Kumar

Dhivyasree

Dec 4, 2018

Yes, there was once a time we - a group of 30+ strangers who became a family, in sharing each one's life story, playing together while doing so or in more ways learning together, from each other; went to new strangers house in villages we were meant to serve, learned from them and served in little ways while being with them and learning more. We laughed, danced, shared things foods blessings for each other. On the final day on the final hours we were taken to a river as a surprise. It had a temple, each were on different spots around, while I was looking at a space where I could feel a lot of wind. After climbing there, I saw each one of them, some plying in the sand, some dydreming at the sky while hving their feel on water, some still chatting like evertime done.. All the feelings about each human, all the memories attached flashed. It was unbelievable that we were met only 9 days earlier. None of it was something I ever imagined, nor something I'd forget. Then the wind blowed... View full comment

david doane

Dec 3, 2018

The sun doesn't shine in order to give light to life, and rain doesn't fall to water life. The sun and rain have no intention. The sun lights, rain waters, and life benefits. We attribute intention. Intention is our construct. Sun and rain and life simply interbe. Interbeing means that all that is, living and not living, is interrelated, interconnected, and interdependent. Everything affects and is affected by everylthing else. Everything is part of everything. And everything, including the sun and the rain, the world and everything in it, and ourselves, is a gift. We didn't earn any of it. We don't deserve it. We don't have to pay for it. We are part of the interbeing that is, and we are part of the evolution of interbeing. What helps me live in gratitude, when I do, is simply being aware that the world and life are a gift.

Melissa O'Mara Dec 4, 2018

Very insightful response. Thanks for sharing.

Jagdish P Dave

Nov 30, 2018

As I understand, there are two perspectives of looking at and understanding the world. I would call them scientific and spiritual. In my opinion both have value in understanding the world. As Charles Eisenstein writes, the first perspective looks at the world in which we all are separate from each other and from nature. The other perspective emphasises unity, interconnectedness, interbeing and oneness. There is one thread of energy that underlies all apparently different-not separate- entities. Personally, I am more inclined towards this unifying spiritual perspective.

I feel oneness in all beings- between me, the other and nature- when I act mindfully going beyond my self-centeredness and not bound by the narrow perspective. This expereince and this way of relating to life is a gift for me. It makes me internally rich and happy. When I live my everyday life mindfully, I live in gratitude for life

Namaste!
Jagdish P Davw

Rebecca Huang Dec 5, 2018

Very well put, and so poetically, too. All of these comments are so uplifting and wonderful to read.
Thank you for this.
Regards,

Rebecca

Amy Dec 7, 2018

Beautiful! â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸