I remember being on the threshold of graduation from university. While my fellow students and I knew we were fortunate to have the opportunity to attend university, many of us were weary from living on a student budget. We sat around dreaming about the day was going to be like when we received our first “real” paycheck from working at the career we for which we had studied so hard.
In our minds, the first paycheck would mean we had “arrived”. We dreamt about what we would do with that first paycheck. One person…new sweatsocks with no holes…wouldn’t have to wear 2 pairs for one to cover up the holes of the other. Another: a huge block of cheese that she could nibble on every day…a luxury that wasn’t in the student budget. Me: a pair of jeans that fit the best, not the ones that were prudent because of the sale price. It just seemed like life would be SO well…different, once we were working, and didn’t have to save for textbooks, study each evening, and could dream about purchasing things that were only fantasies for a student. It would be a sort of utopia, we felt.
We graduated. We got jobs. We could buy stuff we couldn’t before. And life went on. It was somewhat different…but I was still me, my life was still my life, and I didn’t arrive at some level of instant happiness. The “stuff” and the release of the financial pressure didn’t transform my existence like I naively imagined it would (course I was a lot younger and a lot more na ve back then…so cut me some slack on this, please)
So, when I saw Tom Shadyac in an interview recently, and he talked about the significance of walking into a Los Angeles mansion that he had purchased as a hugely successful movie director that was on top of the director’s heap (having done comedies like Liar, Liar; Bruce Almighty)…and realizing that it didn’t make him happier, and that it didn’t lead to the feeling of utopia that he had been led to believe would happen….well…it resonated with me. He now lives in a mobile home…with neighbors close by, living in community.
I haven’t seen the movie he wrote out of the spiritual journey he has been on and the lessons he has learned and wants to pass on…but I want to.
What he discovered revolves around three key concepts that are explored in I Am:
1. It is scientifically proven that the entire human race is connected.
2. It is human nature to be cooperative rather than competitive.
3. If you don’t do what your heart wants you to do and follow your passion, it
will destroy you.
This video acknowledges the importance of people connecting to each other…how vital and life giving that is. Connecting with people gives life…stuff doesn’t. Being in relationships that are cooperative and collaborative that give you the feeling that you are involved in something bigger than you are, is “wow”…stuff doesn’t give that feeling.
We are more interconnected with each other at a fundamental level than people realize or previously thought
The truth of who we are is that who we are is because of who
we belong
Bishop Desmond Tutu
The science shows us that we are all connected…deep connections at a deep level…this is the most profound discovery….we are born to be our brother’s keeper…this is the emerging story…we are far grander than what we’ve been told.
I Am movie trailer
The movie looks at how science is proving how connected we all are…how we are hardwired to cooperate with each other because of intimate, close, vital, life giving connections. The trailer looks interesting. If anybody has seen it, let us know in an comment!
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