We live in an interconnected world, no doubt about it. The news of a possible economic collapse in Greece or Spain can set the world stock markets spinning, since everyone recognizes that we are now a global economy.
The internet is fundamental in connecting the whole world. In an instant we can hear the news from another country, find out the latest about our friends on Facebook, or look up information on any topic via a Google search.
One area in which the vision of interconnectedness is sorely lacking, however, is the field of politics, especially in regards to finding solutions to our nation’s problems. For example, health care costs are skyrocketing in many countries. In the USA, the epidemics of obesity and cardiovascular disease are threatening to bankrupt the health care system in the not-so-distant future.
Interconnectedness of Food and Health
First Lady Michelle Obama is to be congratulated for bringing more awareness to this issue. She has promoted many practical programs to solve the obesity crisis, such as Let’s Move , which emphasizes healthy eating and more physical activity.
However, the government currently subsidizes agrochemical industries, particularly commodity crops like corn and soy. This artificially lowers the price of corn products, while at the same time making it more expensive to buy organic food. This is due in part to the fact that most corn is genetically engineered—requiring organic foods to be tested to ensure purity—and in part to the fact that organic foods receive little or no subsidies. Consequently, modified corn and soy products can be sold very cheaply on the market and are used in most processed food.
Unfortunately, because this “food” is artificially so much cheaper than healthy fresh
produce, many people with limited incomes are forced to live off processed food low in nutrition. This eventually leads them to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related disorders. Obviously, this setup is having hugely detrimental impacts on these individuals, as well as dramatic effects on the cost of health care. The connection between good food and better health is obvious, yet the government is failing to recognize this link, or at the very least, is acting slow as molasses to correct it.
Interconnectedness of People and the Environment
The devastating events of Hurricane Sandy have once again put global warming in the minds of many. We cannot divorce our environment from this theme of interconnectedness. The melting of the polar ice is slowly forcing us to see that changing one part of the delicate ecosphere affects the entire world. Unfortunately, most politicians, especially in the USA, are still not acknowledging the science on global warming or seeing the importance of our interconnectedness with the environment.
Interconnectedness: Holistic Solutions
In the same way that many doctors are starting to see and treat the mind and body as a whole, rather than only treating isolated parts, governments need to see the interconnectedness between all their different departments, between nations, and between humanity and the environment.
The deepest level of interconnectedness is what physics calls the unified field of natural law, that level that governs the entire universe. Maharishi has equated the unified field of natural law with the field of pure consciousness deep within everyone. The more people experience this unified field within themselves, the more they will naturally see the outer connections that unite us all.
Having a vision of interconnectedness helps prevent problems at their source.
“Interconnectedness” should be the government’s new mantra. Leaders with this visionary outlook and the actual experience of interconnectedness are the only ones that deserve to have a place in guiding the future to a more enlightened mankind.
