“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Albert Einstein

When I encountered this quote this morning in a book about emotional intelligence it struck me as yet another piece of synchronicity. The universe providing just what I needed at the moment it was needed. When the student is ready the teacher appears. I was looking for something to frame an introduction to this blog about making a better world for ourselves when we move beyond the terrors of covid19. Not surprisingly the ambition of creating a better world, creating better lives, has long been a pursuit of mankind. The way I might talk about it is far less eloquent, so I’m going with Einstein. By the way it fascinates me that his insight into the physics of the universe is matched by his insights into human participation in that universe.

What I hear when I read this is a message that speaks to the self-centredness of the materialistic age, and more specifically the selfishness we have encountered in living with covid19. We should care for all individuals. When he speaks of embracing all living creatures he is considering the whole, all beings. Dealing with climate change might be an example.

You are invited to range from the personal and specific to the universal and general. The only requirement is that your contribution is about how we can be better. Go to the contact page on this website to send your contributions.