I hope it is clear that interdependence does not undermine your individuality but is what has enabled you to become the unique person you are today. Embracing your interdependence can give your individuality new meaning. The same is true of self-reliance. There are forms of self-reliance that works in harmony with interdependence, and it is precisely these forms of self-reliance that we most need to cultivate. Thinking in terms of interdependence, in turn, provides a firm base for our exercise of healthy self-reliance.
It is on the basis of interdependence that we are able to consciously change course in life and grow in new directions. We are not destined to live out our lives as dictated by the initial set of conditions that first gave us life.
17th Karmapa
from the book Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society
Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.
Further quotes from the book Interconnected:
- Thinking about the consequences of our collective actions
- Naturalness
- The workings of interdependence
- Being an interdependent individual
- Inner freedom is key
- The ability to experience genuine closeness
- Becoming stuck in a quagmire of self-obsession
- Enthusiastically benefiting whomever we come in contact with
- Our innate ability to connect with others
- Interdependence always works both ways
- Enjoying the goodness of what you are doing
- A Vast and Complex Web of Causality
- A greater sense of possibility
- Concealing our weaknesses
- Cultivating a spirit of generosity
- The impulse to connect
- Viewing others through the lens of interdependence
- Interdependent individual
- Bringing about real change in the world
- Experiencing connection rather than isolation