Sweetness Is a Superpower

"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men" - Herman Melville

Creation is an extraordinary concept, as it continually expands into an infinite, miraculous flow. I can't help but feel moved by the wondrousness of it all, and how we have little control over any of it.

Years back, I shared my mystical views about life with a former colleague. She had said how exciting and how clever I was, being pregnant at that time. I awkwardly replied that my part was to 'only cook', or rather, 'incubate my baby' from the very miracle of my womb.

I continued to clarify what I meant by that comment: How could I, a mere mortal, know how to knit and fashion a human being together on my own merits? Although I was aware that my emotions, of course, played an important role in its development. 

She looked at me as if I were crazy, rebuffing my bizarre perspective; I stood firm that I had nothing to do with my foetus's biological evolution. We didn't share my curiosity about the mysteries of life; I find that many people don't.

I forget how my natural, deeper way of thinking can appear quirky compared to others who are happy to accept life as it is, without needing to ask any questions.

Nonetheless, life is an enigma, regardless of what mindset we live from. We all possess a design of the universe within us that provides us with so many possibilities. Despite this, our purpose can be hidden; we inherit painful insecurities as we push through the challenges that are always guaranteed in life.

We suffer from a lack of self-love and an absence of connection, not only with each other but with the relationship we have with ourselves - leaving us carrying around an inner void. Over the years, we have forgotten that humans are tribal and fundamentally need one another. We thrive within a tribe, intricately needing to be seen, heard, and valued by one another.

Each of us carries a unique spark of the divine, and each of us is also an inseparable part of the web of life - Viktor E Frankl

How is it possible to walk along the path of our lives with more happiness and more confidence without having people around us — to mirror and illuminate our potential? How is it possible to establish a sense of self without the connections formed by the giving of ourselves, thus discovering that goodness is found in the very simplicity of this merger?

Taking our eyes off ourselves and onto another person at times has an uplifting boomerang effect on our sense of self and biology. Serving one another helps support our deepest questions.

We are enmeshed together within this web of life, just as our body fascia deep under our skin is entwined with every part of our connective tissue through to our bones, ligaments, and tendons. It’s all one of the same.

Western civilization has encouraged the individualization of man, and as a result, we are lost and more alone than ever before. Mental health and suicide are at their highest recorded numbers.

Clusters of groups run through our planet’s template: marine life, animals, plants, fungi, protists, and monera.

No man is an island.

And yet an enormous population of people have become severely isolated with the permeating nature of the internet, digital screens, and working remotely. We communicate more through technology, yet without the naturally healthy benefits of the chemicals produced from physical interactions, people are becoming lonelier and anxious.

Collectively, we have become self-absorbed and narcissistic. Western society has become individualised, even though the hidden gifts of being there for another person light up a part of our brain. Oxytocin is released into our system, strengthening our social connections and creating a sense of belonging.

Giving our time freely increases serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, and also releases dopamine. Dr IsHak, a professor of psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai, said, “Studies have also linked random acts of kindness to releasing dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that can give us a feeling of euphoria. This feel-good brain chemical is credited with causing what’s known as a helper’s high. Source

Helping others can grace us by shifting our lives into perspective, as we see what trials others have to deal with that are worse than our own. Our self-esteem is boosted, and our life span increases when we give ourselves freely to others.

Helping others can grace us by shifting our lives into perspective, as we see what trials others have to deal with that are worse than our own. Our self-esteem is boosted, and our life span increases when we give ourselves freely to others.

We don’t have to perform great deeds like Mother Teresa once did, but adopting an intention of awareness for others will help rescue us from the obsession and disconnection of self.

We can do something physical like volunteer our time to charities or even be kind in the smallest ways: a smile and hello as we pass a stranger in the street, to helping open a door to a person who is struggling to carry too many bags. I have often seen people help out others in a queue when they are a few coins short. I personally feel inspired to help by offering wisdom and courage through words.

In this interconnected web of life, which requires us to connect and care, we innately and unconsciously love ourselves through serving and loving our fellow mankind.

Thank you for spending time with me

Chantal X

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