Seeing ourselves as fundamentally separate and independent inclines us to underestimate or altogether ignore the connections between ourselves and others. As happens in our use of electronic connectivity, we feel that we are here, while everyone else is over there, apart from us. We even imagine that we can do whatever we wish with no consequences for anyone but ourselves. Given the environmental impact of our consumer-driven global society, I believe we cannot afford to leave unexamined the assumptions that have allowed us to go so far down this road without noticing the collective effects of our individual actions.

17th Karmapa
from the book
Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.
Further quotes from the book Interconnected :
- Collective actions and attitudes
- The deeper common ground all living being share
- Gradual change
- Delight in positive thoughts
- Interdependent individuals
- Our intimate dependence on the natural environment
- A main condition for our selfishness
- Opening up to the view of interconnectedness
- Self-reliance
- Outer and inner world
- Everything and everyone is benefiting you
- The best way to love oneself
- When we ignore our interdependence
- Limitless aspirations
- Keeping the door to improvement open
- Freedom
- We hold nothing back
- Naturalness
- Thinking about the consequences of our collective actions
- Being an interdependent individual