THE CONNECTED FEELING

“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but CONNECTED in the deep.” – William James

Today morning as I was walking and chanting, I saw an ant crushed under someone's feet, struggling to survive. I bent low to see the struggle of this ant, I could feel it's pain. It was the same kind of pain, I would go through. I felt CONNECTED. Somehow, the world is such that pain connects us to each other more than pleasure.

And again, in the evening while traveling in the bus from Verna to Panjim, I was observing all the people in the bus, everyone struggling in their own lives just to make ends meet. I could empathize a bit with their struggles. Again, I felt CONNECTED. We all may have different stories but within all these variegated stories is the common story of struggle. While suffering, we all suffer equally.

Therefore, let us feel for others, let us empathize with others, let us pray for others and let us help others because after all, we are all CONNECTED - we are all one family.

- Achyut Gopal Das

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