That makes sense

Connections

When we think of connections, we tend to think of that which joins things together. There can be physical connections such as adhesives, cords, screws and nails, wires. An electrical connection is a pathway that joins a power source to a receiving use. There are magnetic connections that keep family pictures pinned to the side of a refrigerator and there are gravitational forces that keep the refrigerator pinned to the floor. There are also nuclear forces that join atoms and molecules together to create things and beings. We also think of family connections forged of shared genetic materials and friendships cultivated of shared interest or experiences. Then there are influencing connections like political contacts or obligatory connections that we forge in our lives to better serve our own needs or those of others. There are logical connections that we use both subconsciously and deliberately to navigate our daily lives. And finally, there are intellectual connections created of spiritual and knowledge-based musings in our brains.

In one way or another everyone and everything is connected. Due to these connections the universe is a singular entity, a cohesive organism of existence. Like any organism it is composed of individual elements that perform various functions. And each of these elements is composed likewise of elements that perform various functions. When we think of this concept of composition, we tend to think of one thing that is composed of smaller individual elements that collectively form the larger thing. But because connections are reciprocal in scope (they require two or more things to connect), the constituents that are connected and compose a thing are not limited to this building block construct. While it is true that, for instance, a human being is composed of the biological building blocks from DNA to cells to organs to human but also a human being is composed of its connections to other humans, its environment, the world at large and ultimately the universe of existence.

These connections put every element of existence; every being, animal, vegetable, or mineral; every planet, star, and galaxy is the center of its own connectivity. No one element has the distinction of being the most important or significant thing in existence, because connectivity always binds all things together in all directions up and down the construct of existence whether astronomically large or microscopically small.

The nature of this connectivity suggests that there is no beginning or end of the lines of connection. Nor does connectivity suggest that time is a measure of connectivity as this would imply that existence is a one-way adaptation and evolution of things having a duration. There are simply things that exist in the present that are connected to all other things, past, present and future. We use time as a way of measuring relative points of our personal connectivity to other things. There is no duration limiting our connections. They are now and forever.

So, are some things more connected than others? In some ways, yes. In some ways, no. Connectivity is in some ways passive and in some ways dependent on our choices and actions. All carbon-based life forms have a central nervous system with various levels of cognitive ability to navigate their own existence. We suspect that the human brain is the most developed such system in all planet-based life forms. We don’t dismiss the possibility of extraterrestrial life forms of greater intelligence, nor do we dismiss intelligent supernatural beings that may exist but do not cohabitate this planet with us in an animate way. All that can be known for sure is, if they do exist, we are connected to them.

Passive connections join things together because they exist. These connections include the physical and chemical constructs of nature, the biological connections we have because of our lineage and other connections foisted upon us by the nurturing influences of our culture and environment and perhaps the most important is the connections others make with us through our intellectual channels of connection i.e., communication and language.

Active connections are those that we forge with other things and persons based on our actions.  Not our thoughts but our actions.

So, are some people more connected than others? Certainly, some people are more connected because of the environmental and nurturing influences of their place in existence.  If we live alone in isolation with minimal human contact or communication, we are less connected than if we live in a bustling family in a crowded city with a bevy of friends. But in all cases, we are more connected if we reach out in our actions to connect. It stands to reason that if we exert our influence on other people and things that we create more connectivity.

We have an intellect that allows us to make decisions about the kinds of connections we want to forge and certain capabilities through language and motor skills to affect those connections. We use a thought process that uses logic to connect things that we encounter together and to draw conclusions about the cause and effect of their connectivity. We then have the free will to act on those conclusions. What we can’t know for sure is how these overt actions of connectivity will propagate in the universe. But what we can know for certain is, if we don’t take actions to connect, our influence in the universe will be of lesser consequence. Our being inactive in making connections does not preclude us from being connected by the actions of others, it simply means that our influence will be minimal and passive.

With over 8 billion people in the world, it is reasonable to think that if we don’t take actions to connect, someone else will. And ultimately those actions will influence our existence and others through the myriad of connecting channels that exist.

When we contemplate the universe of existence we tend to focus on “Where did it all begin”, “How vast is it, where does it end”, “Where are we”, “Why are we”, “who are we” and other heretofore empirically unanswerable questions.  Connectivity can provide an explanation that is reasonable and relatable.

We are connected to the universe at large. From our perspective we are the center of that universe. The center because we are the beneficiaries of all other things and the source of any new connections we forge. We are the beginning and the end of existence. All that has happened ends with us and all that will happen begins with us. The concept of infinity suggest that the beginning and the end are the same, i.e. they have no terminus.  When the number of years or light years before us is incalculable and the number of years that will follow is unknown the essence of existence is now and is best defined as who we are now and what we do next.  To further support the point of our connectivity, consider that “what” we are is best described by the building elements that molded us, from DNA with our inherited genes, to the cells and organs that have developed in our skin in our environment and in our universe. To understand “who” we are we should look to the connections beyond these building blocks that occur within our peer structure, from the teachers we have learned from, the friends we have associated with, the people we have known through their writings, or rhetoric, and to the connections we have made that have affected and molded our characters and defined our purpose.

Indeed, we are now a miniscule entity, lost in the rounding, in a vast existence of little consequence in comparison to the whole universe, and yet our next action will reshape this universe in ways we can’t even fathom. Our place in existence, our contribution, our impact will be a truth for the ages because of the connections we make. We are connected not because we want to be but because this is what existence is.

The measure of our purpose is not by those connections that have happened to us but by the connections that we create. Whether you are born into privilege or poverty your actions will define your influence in existence. Your existence now has been molded by the many connections you have had. Your legacy is built on the actions you have taken, the connections that you have made or will make, in this existence. Existence begins and ends with you and me. And we last forever because of these connections.