Our Beautiful Dependence

Have you ever had the pleasure of watching a butterfly pollinate a flower? It is truly a miraculous thing to witness. The flower is dependent on that butterfly to come and transfer pollen from that flower to another flower. The flowers themselves cannot get the pollen to the other flowers without the butterfly coming and transferring the pollen. 

How does the flower know that the butterfly will come? What if the butterfly never comes? Who gives the cue to the butterfly to go to the flowers that need pollinating?

Now consider the ocean. That beautiful expanse of water teeming with life. All of the bigger fish are depending on the smaller fish to show up as a food source. Again, how does all of this work? Who gives the cue for the fish to feed off of other life?

Nature is such a beautiful example of this dependence that we have on each other. 

Humans are dependent on each other too. To forget this puts us in peril. To forget this we isolate each other. In fact, I believe that many of our problems relate to this belief that someone we should make it on our own. The feeling of isolation is so common in our world. Many people feel lonely. Many people feel that they don’t matter. Many social ills come from this false narrative that somehow we are separate from and not dependent on others. 

The truth is that we humans also have a beautiful dependence on each other. Just like the butterfly on the flower. Just like the life in the ocean. We are not different from the rest of nature. We need family. We need friends. We need a network of people that will be there for us when we need them. Our inner world is dependent on the influence of others who we respect and are influenced by. They help to shape who we are. They help us become who we are. 

Think of the food you eat. Consider the hundreds of people it took to bring that food to you. The farmers, the truckers, and the grocery store employees all have a hand in getting you fed. Consider the people who designed your house, and then built your house. Ponder the people who designed your clothing, and even manufactured it. We can think of hundreds of things in our life that other people had a hand in creating. 

Yes, we are our own person. But, we are also beautifully dependent on others. 

Consider also how important you are to others. In the same way you need others there are people who need you. You importance in this world cannot he overstated. 

Just like the butterfly and the flower people are relying on you as much as you are relying on them.