Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking along a passageway within a cave. There’s very little light and the walls are cold, dark granite. There’s sand beneath your bear feet but it feels cold, damp and difficult to walk through. There is a light ahead; a small pinprick of light that seems to be getting larger as you walk towards it. Closer and closer to the light now, eventually stepping out of the cave onto a warm sun-kissed beach. There are waves from an aquamarine sea gently lapping against the shoreline and soft white clouds drifting lazily across a beautiful blue sky. And the sand beneath your feet is fine, dry and warm. And you feel a sense of safe, tranquillity, having stepped out of the darkness now.

Now that you’re in the light take some time today to consider the power of belief

Because I reread this post it had the effect of defusing anxiety and started me thinking about oneness. It made me realise that when we believe in our oneness, and understand the importance of togetherness, we have nothing to strive for other than confirmation of this. It can be the case that everything we do at home or work is an expression of this belief. And when we wholeheartedly believe in something there is no effort involved. Allow me to explain.

Much of our thoughts and activities are based on affirming our status/identity and competitive nature. It’s certainly not for me to question the validity of any of these things, however, when we believe in oneness, we’re able see beyond the superficial. When our drivings are based on the beautiful belief that we are simply one, interdependent species, our fears subside. When we’re no longer striving to be seen as different, better or more, we can get on with the business of living in the present. We may always end up superficially different but when we stop striving for this, (with our minds anywhere other than present) and just be who we naturally are, we remove much of the anxiety modern life brings.

Comparing ourselves to others can be considered a primordial instinct but it doesn’t mean we can’t move away from this

Gaining freedom from instinctive drivings is an extraordinary thing. How would life be for us, if rather than simply transposing our instinctive drivings – from fighting in the jungle, to things such as money and identity – we actually sought to conquer them. Being aware is part of the solution. Raising awareness to our true selves – beings that seek togetherness – helps us find the oneness that resides within us all.