Happiness Is Collective

Image by Evenliu

You can look deeply to see that our mother is not only out there, but in here. Our mother, our father, are fully present in every cell of our body. We carry them into the future. We can learn to talk to the father and the mother inside. I have done that several times, talking to my mother, my father, the ancestors in me. I know that I am only a continuation of them. I’m not a separate person, I am a continuation…

When young people say, “I have my own life to live,” or “This body is mine, and I can do whatever I like with it,” this is not reality. It is a misconception. We are not separate from each other. Your body is not just yours, it belongs to your ancestors, your grandparents, and your parents. It also belongs to your children and grandchildren who are not yet born, but who are already present in your body.

You and your parents are one reality. If your parents suffer, you suffer. If you suffer, your parents suffer. If we look deeply and see clearly, we will see that there is just one reality. When you look in that way, you will see clearly that happiness is collective, and you will not go looking for your own individual happiness anymore. You will see that we have to work together and understand one another.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

This idea seems very Eastern, very oriental, but when you stop and consider it you can see how…