“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” ~ Henry Melvill

Hello Friends,

This photograph is one of my favorites, because captured in this one frame is connection! It is a photo of my friend’s and my children — 2 families, representing 5 continents, 7 languages and 4 religions. It is taken at The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, one of the holiest temples of Sikhism. In the background, is the temple and the thousands of people, waiting patiently and peacefully in line to enter. In the foreground, the children, who grew up in vastly different environments, are watching the sunset, chatting and smiling — connection!

None of the children in the foreground are Sikh, yet it makes no difference to them. They are inspired and appreciate the beauty, serenity and sacredness of this space. So much so, that years later, one child shares how she was moved by the meal she had at the langar, community dinning hall. This meal is given to everyone without distinction and without proselytizing. This act of kindness, given freely, without conditions, is humbling and soul filling.

“It was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender, or social status, a revolutionary concept in the caste-ordered society of 16th century India where Sikhism began. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness, and oneness of all humankind. Every Sikh Gurdwara (place of worship) has a langar, providing free vegetarian food for all comers.”*

How can we foster connections in our busy lives? Big or small, and with those known and unknown? Perhaps, we can try by choosing kindness; kindness given freely, and without conditions, in our everyday interactions. These acts do not need to be big overtures, sometimes it’s the small ones that mean the most. Perhaps, holding the door for someone, instead of hurriedly trying to get to our destination, or giving up our seat on the subway. Stopping to allow a pedestrian to cross despite driving late to an appointment; or letting that mom with the tired young children go ahead of us at the supermarket check out; or even giving someone a quarter for their meter.

These acts of kindness may seem inconsequential, however, they do have a ripple effect. We interact with so many people on a daily basis and never know what might be happening in their life at that moment. Hopefully, each of us has been fortunate enough to have been recipients of kindness and have experienced its ability to change our perspective, even for just that moment. The virtuous loop of unintended consequences of kindness is also that we ourselves feel more content and connected. We may never know how our kindness may affect another, but isn’t it worth a try?

With gratitude,
Sandra
The Sacred Mat

Golden Temple Photo Credit:  Thank you to a wonderful photographer and friend, Jay Wasson.
Sources Cited: *Wikipedia