Asking God to do everything for us in life robs us humans of our responsibility and accountability to others and to ourselves. God out there somewhere instead of among us steals us of our divine connection to the universe and everything in Creation. This is one of my older beliefs.

We are connected to everyone and everything in life. Neil deGrasse Tyson says this, “The four most common chemically active elements in the universe — hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen — are the four most common elements of life on Earth. We are not simply in the universe. The universe is in us.” (“Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier”)

Max Ehrmann said it this way: “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.” (“Desiderata”)

We choose how to interact with one another. We choose how to interact with ourselves. Climate change, political distress in the U.S., disenchantment among the world masses, and the discouragement among our young people are all how we choose to interact or not, among this our global community.

We must act collectively if we are to survive our current crises of existence. Choose to look and live in the world. Choose to look and live among one another.

James Weathersby

Augusta