Since launching into my self-appointed (volunteer) job as philanthropist and fundraiser, I’ve had a deeper sense of how pervasive the materialistic paradigm is in our daily lives. The pandemic has done nothing to alleviate our reliance on materialism to bring us comfort, and with ever-increasing political unrest and divided communities, our relationship with ourselves and each other continues to deteriorate at an alarming pace. 

Disillusioned by a sense of separation, we’ve lost our way. Materialism has seeped into our relationships creating a subtle, transactional expectation prompting the unconscious question of “what’s in it for me?” Even in the fundraising and charity sector it is often necessary to convince people that they will get something for donating their money. So ingrained is this materialistic mindset that most of us, myself included, have difficulty avoiding this way of operating. 

To make our situation worse, we’ve been physically isolated from others thanks to COVID, and this past year has done nothing to ease anxiety surrounding our material circumstances. Add in a growing lack of trust toward our fellow humans and we have a toxic mix that is hardly conducive to re-building a holistic and unified society. 

To rediscover a sense of purpose and spiritual worth within our culture, it is imperative that we form and nurture relationships across all divides and belief systems. What is possibly the most challenging transformative step in solving the current crisis of our world is exactly what we must do to see positive change. Fortunately, love and compassion are not finite resources. In fact, the more we connect with others through goodwill, compassion, joy and curiosity, the more abundant these qualities become. 

Building meaningful connections is a life-long practice. A relationship founded in trust, compassion and love requires one to give up a sense of independence to immerse their whole being in this energetic blending. This doesn’t mean we lose our sense of self, but rather we embody our cosmic origins, a lesson we can all learn from the humble “holon.”

A Cosmos Founded in Cooperation

In a recent workshop I co-hosted with my friends at ITP-International, I spoke about the subatomic particles forming the foundation of our cooperative relationships. The atoms and holons that piece together our reality are shining examples of the “unbroken wholeness of our existence,” and just as an atom is the building block of the material world, a holon is the building block of the cooperative world. 

A holon, a term coined by Hungarian British author and journalist Arthur Koestler, refers to a whole that is simultaneously part of another whole. It is the tiniest, holistic part of the entire unit. Since the Big Bang, every thing, every living form, has been connected all along. It is why after 13.7 billion years our human species continues to be lured by “wholeness.” 

It is not a world of separation, but a world born from a conscious source of cooperation, sacred relationships and discovery. This message is everywhere within the wisdom traditions. It is particularly clear in the Ubuntu tradition that claims we become our self through others, or “I am what I am because of who we are.” The relationship gives us identity. We are becoming the best essence of who we are by that relationship, and the relationship becomes us, and us is the whole.

Relationships are a dance. Both parties have to be interested and committed to a cooperative movement and flow for it to be a successful experience. If one person is holding back, or doesn’t want to participate, the dance doesn’t happen. A sense of joy and light-heartedness are equally important. Sadly, we are rusty in this practice of connection, and even more so when we step outside our circle of usual “dance” partners. 

We see this cosmic message play out in our daily interactions. I find that if I have had a tough week, by the time I can meet up with a friend I’m often so caught up in a mental check-list of growing tasks and I’m not present in the moment. However, as I practice, I realize the importance of my role as an active and engaged partner. 

Holomovement as a Source of Hope

We are all connected by a field of potentiality and infinite love. We are all holons containing and contributing to our evolutionary transformation. It is this belief that motivates my work within Purpose Earth, World UNITY Week and the Holomovement to offer a way forward that gives people hope, purpose and community. 

If you have read my recent work, you will be familiar with my excitement for what I’m calling the Holomovement, a name inspired by American physicist David Bohm’s term “holomovement.” This term was used to describe “a holistic understanding of our universe as a manifestation of the consciousness of our universe.” At the core of our universe is the implicate order, the field of consciousness and multidimensional reality of oneness that creates our world. The physical manifestation of how we perceive the universe is the explicate order. The holomovement is what weaves the two together.  In a similar fashion as to how yin and yang make Taoist philosophy an interconnected and flowing whole, the holomovement weaves the spiritual and material into a unified field.

While this description was first applied to the physical explanation of our universe, Bohm went on to apply it to cosmology and even the source of consciousness. He was also intrigued with how the collective consciousness of humankind was developing into its own movement of unbroken wholeness and increasing self-awareness. This is where I get truly excited. 

Take a moment to consider the power in that vision: Our universe, an unbroken wholeness of the totality of existence: an undivided, flowing movement without borders. 

We are moving beyond the transactional nature of relationships and embodying the transformative power of deep human connection. As we engage in this cooperative dance, we begin to understand why having a sense of purpose is so important. In the same way that the implicate and explicate order move in an unbroken whole, we all act as co-creators.

That is the Holomovement, the miracle set in motion from our cosmic beginnings, always keeping us connected even when it appears that we are separate. As we create one perfect holon and then look to another, we sense the emergence of a field strengthened by our relationships, with each other and the planet. We see the power of coherent connectivity. 

It all starts with one connection, one person, one moment of generosity to be open and curious and re-discover our unified existence. Can we even imagine the beauty and wonder and feeling of flow that we could experience if 7 billion people, acting with compassion and purpose, moved together in phase for the good of the whole?