You are born alone and you die alone. In between there are some seven billion of us and rising on this small, densely populated planet. What does that suggest to you? Does it suggest anything? It has been said that there are more people alive here and now than the combined total of all people who have ever lived in previous ages, quite extraordinary. This indicates that in purely physical terms we are a phenomenally successful species, we have come to dominate the life forms here above all others and have adapted to whatever conditions we have found ourselves in.   

Setting aside the purely physical assessment of human life it is apparent that there is an unprecedented appearance of that enigmatic property that has been called by various names from spirit to essence to life force. For some reason there are literally billions of humans here energized by the same desires to grow and expand.   

Each of us has the ability to reconnect a part of the assembly of our fellows. It may be in a look, a word, a conversation or it may be in a more protracted engagement. We hold moments in trust for one another and none of us know exactly what another holds for us. We are multiple by design and social by inclination. We work best as parts of a whole; none of us is designed to be singular in our expression though our individual uniqueness is not in any way disputed.   

How does this feature in your pursuit of those things that may assist you in your journey? Seek out those of kind, those who are like you and those who have articulated similar desires to improve themselves and their situation. These individuals are your companions along the way and will become mutuality.  The value of friendship here is inestimable; those who can provide reflection and counterbalance are both an invaluable resource and bringers of ease.   

Try, if you can, to develop a group of people whose counsel you trust and whose guidance is faithful and reliable. This is done by being that yourself. Be a good friend to others; help where you can and where it may be necessary but avoid the temptation to interfere in the affairs of others. Their integrity is priceless and no less important to them than yours is to you. We are socially inclined because it is impossible to live and develop alone.   

Romantic notions of solitary wandering hermits or masters spending their time in contemplation hidden in caves are archetypes from an age that has passed. When the muse compelled them and Aristotle or Plato were teaching, the population of the world was less than that of our larger cities today.   

Their environment was completely different, what they saw, observed and noted was unlike the things that press in upon us in this time. Just as we do today, they gathered together in the sure knowledge that co-operation is the way forward. The development of small settlements that became city states was the herald of an ecology that nurtured human growth. It was in these settings that our social character began to emerge.

Those places that withdrew from the interface and exchange with others soon withered and lost any prominence that they might have earned. You are no different, you are like a city, a nation by yourself and it is prudent to form alliances, pacts and networks with others. See how the great cities and nations of the world have been those whose borders were open to trade and cultural exchange; adopt the same policy in your dealings with others. Give the benefit of the doubt and be generous towards others, remember that you frame your own life by those things that you sanction. If you would have such things then you must first give them away.   

Do not worry about unfair exchange; you will extract what you need to move on from whatever situation you find yourself in. Uphold the best in all people, become a safe haven for them and allow them to express themselves freely in your presence. Do not judge others, they are engaged in their own journey and you are no more than a witness to that.   

Set and maintain high standards for yourself and others will register this from you and deal with you accordingly. Keep a light burning for the best in all living things and you will be the catalyst for change in them, you will cause things to quicken in them that you may never know of. In just the same way that people have caused things in you that you have not told them.   

I recall a person whom I sat opposite on a train many years ago and the look that passed between us. We never spoke and at the time it did not matter, an exchange of frequencies occurred and we both acknowledged it.  We both shared a moment and a knowing that human life was indeed a noble and majestic thing captured and held within a physical form. In that moment I realized that I was not alone, you must appreciate this fact too, and all are either brother or sister in a bewildering range of possible outcomes. You are seeing them fleetingly in a moment in the progression of their lives; their concerns for their lives mirror your own.   

Have compassion and empathy and treat others always as you would have them treat you. Why do these things become clichés, these folk wisdoms passed down along the ages? It is simple; it is because they are true. If something rings throughout the ages as a recurrent and constant theme, you do well to understand it and extract the kernel of wisdom that it most assuredly formed around.   

image: Ritvara