A Sense of Universality
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour.”
William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
In these words,
Blake expresses for us the wonder that the small objects and
everyday happenings of our ordinary existence mirror the higher
order of the reality which lies beyond them—the macrocosm
reflected in the microcosm. What is embodied in this perspective
is a keen awareness of the subtle but pervasive relationships
that invincibly hold all within the framework of the universe
we perceive. Deep within the heart of this point of view lies
the realisation that the divine and infinite exists within the
finite, like a seed containing the full potential of the life
which created it.
To truly perceive
this is not only to realise a deep identification with others
but also to dimly sense the heartbeat of the entire manifested
universe. While alienation seems to be a familiar theme running
throughout modern experience, by contrast, an inner identification
spans great distances, bridges individual differences, and relates
the past to the future. This perspective adds another dimension
to the events we witness. Our actions reverberate and impact
on one another. We begin to realise that, no matter how far removed
we are in time and space, we are participants in thought, linked
in consciousness.
In a world that
is shrinking, we can no longer ignore our relationship to one
another. Indeed it might be said that a sense of universality
is now almost inescapable. At one time such a world view would
have been no more than the vision of poets and mystics, but today
we are seeing an increasing awareness of our interrelatedness,
and in the most unpoetic of places. We see this borne out in
the prominence of many issues, from the raging debate on the
environment to the worldwide concern for human rights and justice.
These challenges are drawing to us the responsibilities we now
need to share as one human family.
Perhaps this
awareness is so acute today because we are more willing and able
to engage as a group to make this spiritual vision a living experience.
What was once perceived by the few has now become the vision
of the many and is evoking the will required to express the underlying
reality. The inspiration and strength required to find ways of
combining our differences constructively is a synthesising power—drawing
from each the golden strand that will weave a cloth of our common
well-being.
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