there's so much packed into these three and a half minutes...

One of my brothers shared this video with me, and what the speaker in the video says is just resonating with me on so many levels. (This is so like my brother to share something like this; I love his unique take on life and spirituality.)

This reminds me of the movie Gattaca - the last scene where Ethan Hawke's character (the "love child" or non-genetically engineered person) finally makes it to outer space - he said something like "Every atom in our body was once part of a star. Maybe I'm going home." Loved that movie...

This video also makes me think about why we (humans) can't be more compassionate towards others/other races/other religions/other levels of ability or disability, etc when we are all essentially made up of the same stuff. Not to say there isn't any goodness in us. There is. Ego just gets in the way sometimes. But then again it's probably human nature to feel threatened by those who, on superficial levels, "seem" different than ourselves... perhaps, because sticking to "our kind" has what helped us survive over thousands of years. I'm no evolution scientist so this is just my very simplistic interpretation.

I've been reflecting on the concept of ahimsa ("nonviolence" - one of the yamas in yogic philosophy) lately, in part due to the Catholic tradition of the Lenten season - the 40 days leading up to Easter. Thinking about how nonviolence plays out in my life, or how I can practice it more. Not just in relation to the recent temporary change in my diet and all that accompanies that decision as it weighs somewhat heavily on me now - but also in terms of nonviolence in thought, word, and deed toward myself and others.


I've played and replayed this video 3 times, and different concepts seem to pop out each time.  Astounding fact indeed. More for me to ponder on...