I’ve written before about the concept of “interbeing”.  It’s a term coined by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh.  It’s a concept that invites us to remember that every moment of every day of our lives depend on more than just ourselves.  The water we drink, the electricity we use to go on-line and read these experiments, the food we eat, the clothing we wear all depend on the activities of uncounted and unknown people – from our own communities and, often, from around the world.  It’s easy to take our “interbeing” for granted – not to bother to notice that when we buy a new outfit we really enjoy wearing that its presence in our life depends on the resources required to create the fabric, the people who made the garment, those who shipped it, the trucker who delivered it to the store, the clerk in the store who put the price tag on it and then put it on the shelf, the cashier who did the transaction with us – the countless people and steps along the way that were involved in putting that new clothing on our body.

In a world where there seems to be so much difference, separation, polarization, and conflict, remembering our relationship to “interbeing” is more important than ever.  Remembering that we do nothing alone and that even our enemies are sometimes part of the range of resources that bring us things we value and enjoy. 

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to hold in your awareness the concept of “interbeing”.  Notice what you experience when you take the time to recall that anything and everything that enters your life is there because of the activity and contribution of countless people unknown to you.  Also take the time to acknowledge the natural resources involved in creating the common, everyday elements of your life, from running water to nails for hanging pictures, to all the parts of what makes up a picture that you might hang on the wall.  There is literally nothing in your everyday life that doesn’t depend on the activity of other people, with the exception of your own breathing and internal physical and psychological processes. 

Notice, does it make you more or less comfortable to be aware of the inevitable, inescapable, all-inclusive presence of “interbeing” in your life?  If it makes you comfortable, notice what happens in your body as you feel that sense of comfort, connection, or whatever emerges for you.  Also notice the quality of your mental and emotional experience.  Next, if there’s any discomfort with the idea of “interbeing”, take some time to explore that discomfort.  What belief or fear generates or supports your discomfort?  What happens in your body?  There’s nothing you necessarily have to do with your discomfort.  Just notice it and let it move on through.  No need to push it away or wrestle with it – or feed it and make it bigger.  Just notice what comes as you contemplate “interbeing” and spend the week keeping it in mind.

As with most of these experiments, it’s completely natural to have mixed feelings.  Please allow the mixed feelings to be an invitation to greater awareness, an opening to know yourself better and to point the way to possible healing.   Also, remember how important it is to have curiosity as your constant companion, along with a willingness to let go of judgment and self-criticism.  Allow the experiment to expand your experience of “interbeing” and allow yourself to be surprised at what you discover.