Tuesday, February 12, 2013

How to Connect with Julius Caesar (And Other Reasons to Breathe)




In these modern times, many of us communicate (i.e. connect) with the world around us via cell phones and the Internet. Several of us carry computers (via smartphones) in the palm of our hand. Recent estimates show over 50% of us own one. Internet is available to over 94% of the population, giving humans the comforting sense of always being connected. It's real, there’s room for growth, and it’s here to stay. This is all good. They are modern tools used to further our knowledge of, and to communicate with, the world around us. But there is a difference between communication and connection, and it’s important to recognize the difference.
Communication : The imparting or exchanging of information or news; a letter or message containing such information or news.
Connection: A relationship; a set of persons associated together; ‘connection’ as a relation of personal intimacy.
The fact is human beings long to stay connected. We need personal connections to thrive. But we do not need our smartphones and computers to do so. Deeper means of connecting are all around us, and it’s as easy as inhaling and exhaling. No log in required.
It’s known as the Caesars Last Breath phenomenon. It’s a rather complicated yet mathematically proven “folklore” that physics teachers often use a teaching tool to show how atoms are evenly dispersed throughout the atmosphere.
Basically, you are breathing in molecules from the breath of every single person – from Shakespeare to Lincoln, Gandhi to your great-great-grandmother - and yes, Julius Caesar - every time you breathe. So, every inhale, and every exhale, connects you to every living organism both past and present. The oxygen molecules dance and swirl all around us. They enter and exit and disperse and flow through time and space. By simply breathing, I am You, and you are Me.
We take our first breath when we come out of our mother’s womb. That same breath keeps us alive when we are both awake and sleeping. It follows us into yoga class and during meditation, where focus on breath is key. It feeds our soul when we go outside and inhale all of nature. It increases when we dance and sing, run wild, or laugh deeply. It makes our heart swell when we take a moment to inhale the scent of our child’s hair or our lover’s skin. With each breath, we are literally breathing in the universe and all it provides. We inhale the molecules of those beside us, before us, and those yet to come. Perhaps that’s why when we “stop to take a deep breath” we immediately feel better. Could it be that in that moment of deep inhalation, our spirit recognizes that we are truly connecting? I believe so.
Knowing this links us in a way cell phones and computers simply cannot. It’s both comforting and powerful. Acknowledging this connection - literally tuning in and being aware of it - will bleed into all other forms of communicating and connecting. So while I communicate this message to you via the Internet, I connect to you with every breath I take.
Namaste