“Every problem emerges from the false belief we are separate from one another, and every answer emerges from the realization we are not…” – Marianne Williamson

What would you do if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the suffering of every single human being affects you personally, in varying degrees? That when your mood is off, it might not just be about you, it might be because you have connected to a group of people that are currently experiencing great trauma. There have been many reports worldwide that people felt an ill feeling during the attacks on the world trade center, that people have felt the passing of a loved one far away, deep down, most of us believe it, yet we are not acting as if we believed that we are all connected.

What will it take…

What is wrong with us, how can we witness so much suffering in the world yet still be able to go on with our daily routines as if it doesn’t concern us?

Are we selfish, is this the maximum that our human nature can allow, or maybe we are just stuck, wanting to do more, but not sure what to do, or how to do it? The prevalence of motivational videos, insightful articles and self-help books, and inspirational quotes is a good indication that people want more than what they have, than their current reality.

But who are we doing all of this self-help/become the best version of ourselves stuff for, if not for the benefit of others? Would people go through all of this trouble to “fix themselves up” if they were alone on a deserted island without any hope of ever seeing another human being again? I think not… If we are doing this to benefit others in some way, then what are we doing about it, other than talking, other than this pursuit of perfecting ourselves? How “perfect” do you want to become before you take concrete steps to share yourself, to take actionable measures towards recreating your inner beauty into something that is tangible in the outside world?

The suffering of others is around us on a daily basis, from images of starving children, to seeing homeless people on the streets on our way to work, headlines of millions of refugees displaced from their homes, psychology papers expounding the rise of suicide and depression, yet what are we really doing about it?

Have we stopped dreaming for a better tomorrow?

We desperately need to shake things up, to knock people out of their comfortable routines, and for those already there, to give them something they can work with, or at the very least find a way to empower them to find their own thing. If not, then maybe we’ve just lost hope that we can actually do anything to make this world a better place, that the struggles are too difficult to overcome, that it has become useless to even try… If you are convinced of this, then you should stop reading right now, and go buy yourself an ice cream cone, or a beer, and maybe watch a movie to escape the harsh reality that so many in this world are suffering, yet you feel powerless to do anything to help.

This is your second chance to give up, are you sure you want to keep reading, are you sure that you feel capable and willing to consider the idea that you have it within you to change something, anything?

If you are still with me, then there is hope. There are a lot of people out there who do not have the means to help themselves, though how to go about helping them, how can we convince people to take the suffering of others more seriously?

For me, I got myself stuck in the same routines, the same patterns of reading spiritual books, attending one workshop after another, looking at the world and contemplating how I could help, what could I do, little ol’ me!? A lot of efforts in “becoming”, but taking very few steps to actually build something better. It’s easy to pick up any one of thousands of spiritual books and be content that we are “changing the world from within”, but at some point we need to come back out and face the task of doing. It’s easy to want to help, to want to see positive change, but doing is where most people seem to draw the line.

So what have I done, what is my plan to help? I think I’ve come up with a great idea for hope, something that could profoundly change our way of seeing ourselves, and everyone around us. I have created a project that has as a mission to get that proof, valid scientific proof that not only we are all connected, but we also share feelings and emotions, love, fear, pain and suffering, it’s called “The One Human Project”, and the idea of it is to scientifically prove that not only are we all connected, but that this connection is not just at the quantum level, or as some kind of philosophical musing, it is real and it also involves the connection of our feelings and emotions.

Every single person has the power to affect change, every single person can choose to make a difference either with a few dollars, a bit of time, or even by what they decide to focus one. Practicing empathy for one, imagining yourself in other people’s situations can be a great beginning. There’s a recent study on the psychological implications of believing that everything is one, and they’ve found that believing that we are all one indicated a universal concern for the welfare of other people, as well as greater compassion for other people, and this with just a “belief”, what if that belief was changed into a fact?

So, scientific proof that the suffering, and love, of any one individual is shared by everyone else, could that be the magic bullet, could that be the tipping point that we need to send us running to our nearest homeless shelter, to our favorite cause to donate some of our earnings, or possibly to start a cause of our own? It would definitely be a great starting point.

We need change, sharing quotes and inspirational messages is okay, but we need to do something, anything, as long as we get the ball rolling in the right direction. Now it’s up to you to decide if your duty will be over once you finish reading this article, or if sharing the link will be the extent of your efforts, or if you’ll do something more, a contribution in line with the kind of world you would like to live in. You don’t need to start a mega project or volunteer overseas, whatever your means, you can help, even with a smile:)