Steve Pavlina's 4th Principle: Oneness

In the last post I wrote about the third and last primary principle of Steve Pavlina's personal development framework which is Power, and in this post I will share with you more about the first secondary principle: Oneness.

Oneness might sound like a bit of a fluffy new age term but let me assure you that it's definitely not. It's a way of looking at reality from the empowering, and humbling, standpoint that we're all cells of one body, that body being the whole of humanity. There is far too much disconnection seen in the world, and this principle helps us see beyond our perceived differences and interact with each other in a spirit of harmony and cooperation.

I'm sure you've already heard big time entrepreneurs like Sir Richard Branson and Bill Gates stress time and again that their focus is first and foremost on providing people value, and addressing peoples needs is an entrepreneur's top priority. "To become a billionaire, help a billion people," says Dr. Peter Diamandis, and to help those billion people in a way that supports life on Earth on a large scale as well is what the principle of Oneness is about. We're all in this together.

The components of Oneness are: Empathy, Compassion, Honesty, Fairness, Contribution and Unity. Let's look at each one in more detail as we've done in the past 3 posts about the principles of Truth, Love, and Power. 

Empathy is connecting with others through what they are feeling, whether that is joy, sorrow, or any other emotion. We realize, through the principle of love, that we're all connected, and empathy brings the emotional aspect to those connections. We can empathize with both, individuals, and humanity at large when we look at not only the positive aspects of things we've created, but the problems we have to address as well. Through empathy, we can't ignore each others' feelings, but rather develop a compassion for each other.

Compassion is the principle of Oneness in action. We are most compassionate when we see others as ourselves and extend a helping hand to those in need. If you've ever experienced moments when you felt the same heavy emotions that someone else was feeling and you went ahead to make them feel good through your words and your actions, you exercised compassion. When viewed through the eyes of Oneness, compassion is extended, again, to everyone we see. Compassion is unconditional, and our loving action, when needed, should be offered whenever it's needed since we know that we're just reflections of each other, and helping others is the same as helping ourselves.

Honesty is one of the most challenging aspects of Oneness. We're usually afraid to share our true thoughts and feelings from each other but it is in our best interests to share the most that we can to create a harmonious and loving environment for ourselves. Brutal honesty is different, however, from genuine honesty. Genuine honesty comes from a place of love, and is when shared, even though it might sound firm and direct, is done so with a dose of empathy. In times when so many people are afraid of conflict and sharing what they truly feel about each other, honesty is an act of courage. The more genuinely honest we can be with each other, the more harmonious a world we can create for ourselves.

In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

Fairness is recognizing the fact that we are different, unique individuals, and execute actions based on  the fact that we're here "to treat each other in ways that honor our individual well-being as well as the greater good".  Our actions must be aligned with both the fact that we are individuals, and yet part of a greater whole as well, and in that case, realize that what might not seem fair on the individual level is fair on the larger scale of humanity. The best decisions that we make must address both, our individual well-being as well as that of the larger body of humanity.

Contribution is the 5th component of Oneness, and is the one which compels us to act and give back to our fellow individuals. It is not enough to develop our talents just enough to make it through the few years that we are on this planet, but, rather, reach a point where are actively contributing to helping others discover their true selves and help them make their own significant contribution. Oneness reminds us to make sure that our accomplishments are humanity's accomplishments and vice versa. The more we assimilate the fact that the more we contribute to our fellow human beings, the more we contribute to our own personal evolution, the strong our experience of oneness becomes.

Unity is the final component of the principle of oneness and really takes it to as big a level we can think of. As you integrate this component in your life, you remind yourself that all your thoughts, feelings and behaviours impact humanity as a whole. Just as a single cell in your body is responsible for doing its duty to the best of its ability to support the health of the body, so do you as being as cell of the larger body of humanity. Thinking at this level might be very challenging at first, and it might seem very overwhelming, but it has the advantage of making us deliberately think about the consequences of our actions. We don't need to create something to save the world, but we do think twice before doing things that we know might affect others in a negative way.

"Think at the level of the body, and act at the level of the cell."

The principle of oneness, again, is Truth and Love combined. The truth is that we're all part of a whole that is held together by the force of love. Sometimes it's difficult to imagine a world like this since we notice so much violence, hatred, and stories of revenge in the news on a daily basis, but I'm not here to convince you about us being held together by the force of love and oneness, I'll let you determine if that's the case for yourself in this case. A principle can be described, only through your own experience will it become real.

The next post in this series will be the 2nd secondary principle of this 7-principle framework, and that is Authority. The principle of authority is a combination of Truth and Power, and reminds you in no uncertain terms that you are, and always will be, the author of your life. Stay tuned.