A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
~ Albert Einstein
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I like the concept of an "optical delusion." Not so much that I like that they exist, but that someone has acknowledged that they might exist. Too often we see what we want to see and forget how limited our individual perspectives are. It's challenging to identify themes and patterns with a sample of one.
We are all connected to one another - whether we want to be or not. Sometimes the bond is like grasping the hand of a friend or sharing an umbrella.
In other moments it's like wearing a giant "time out t-shirt" with someone you don't really like.
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