Maria Gonzalez Blog
Mindful Leadership

The Interconnectedness of All Things

It has been very trendy to say that everything is interconnected.  But few really know the depth of this statement.  We quite literally are connected to one another here and everywhere in the world and we are connected to everything on the planet.  Knowing this helps us to realize how much power we really have and what a responsibility it is.

Our interconnectedness means that everything we think, say and do has impact.  It has impact because everything carries its own form of energy.  We are responsible for that energy.  As a leader, the implications of this are huge.  How you enter a room will impact the mood in the room, how you ask a question will determine the type of answer you receive and how you listen will determine the depth of what you hear.

One thing that conversations about interconnectedness often overlook is our connection to our own bodies.  We may be very aware of how we impact others or how we impact our environment, but how many of us think about being connected to our bodies?  In fact, many people when they first start to practice become aware that they are talking heads.  The body just seems to go along for the ride.  Why is that?  Doesn’t it seem bizarre? We are connected to this body from birth to death but somehow our awareness of that connection is tenuous at best.  Very often it is illness that causes us to become more aware of our bodies.  But why are we so disconnected and does it matter?

Actually it matters greatly and the key reason for our disconnectedness from our bodies is quite simple.  Our disconnectedness from our bodies is our attempt and effort to distance ourselves from emotion.  Emotion can be very painful.  We feel slighted by others, hurt, sad, angry, fearful or powerless.  Because it is unpleasant to be with that we push it away.  We deny or suppress it.  But how is this possible?  The only way we can do this is by becoming more and more distant from our bodies.  Pretty soon we are just our minds or talking heads.

And that can go on for a while; but not forever because you can’t run away from yourself.  You see “feel” or the physical sensations associated with emotion are embedded in the body from the beginning of time.  Every time we suppress or deny what is arising within us it is embedded in the body.  And these sensations or “feel” unchecked will drive our behaviour each and every time.  And it matters because when we are disconnected from our bodies we can not truly be connected to others.  That is why the more disconnected we are the more insincere or unauthentic we appear to others.  We appear as if we are uncomfortable in our skin because we are not actually in our skin at all.

By connecting with our bodies we can then connect to ourselves as whole beings and we can connect to others and ultimately the planet.  That is how we can experience true interconnectedness and thereby liberation.

There is an excellent TED Talk by Eve Ensler entitled Suddenly, My Body.  You may know her as the creator of The Vagina Monologues.  I will alert you that some people may find some of the content in the talk disturbing.  If you choose to listen to it I suggest you be aware of “feel space” and use the opportunity to listen as a meditation.  http://www.ted.com/talks/eve_ensler.html#.TmUcOccGCus.email

I would like to thank Dr. Mary Vachon for bringing the talk to my attention.