Everything, Everyone Is Interconnected

Nothing exists completely on its own. 

Buddhism and science are in total agreement on this. Everything (people, nature, ideas, events) arises through relationships and mutual influence. Even hurricanes, which cause much destruction and countless deaths, are essential to our survival as you will see here.

Basically, we share the same air, water, ecosystems, the planet and climate. What one person or group does (pollution, conservation, consumption) affects others, even far away. All living beings are part of interconnected systems such as food chains and ecosystems. Human health depends on plants, animals and even microorganisms. Our bodies are ecosystems that rely on bacteria to survive!

Humans are tightly linked. The food you eat, clothes you wear and technology you use comes from the labor of countless people. Economics, wars, pandemics and policies ripple across borders. A single person’s actions can affect many others, either directly or indirectly. 

I have mentioned often that our Sangha is interconnected in many ways, that we are a family that is part of a global family. Any two humans share about 99.9% of their DNA. The remaining 0.1% accounts for all visible differences (skin tone, facial features, height, disease risk, etc.). Genetically, the variation within any population is far greater than the variation between populations. All modern humans descended from a population that lived in Africa approximately 250,000 years ago. You share ancestors with everyone alive if you go back a couple thousand years. 

Human groups were never completely isolated. Migration, trade and intermarriage caused gene flow between populations. This is why genetic boundaries between populations is rather fuzzy. We carry DNA from other human species such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, which tells us that evolution was networked, not a straight line. 

There are no genes that are exclusive to a single “race.” Traits like intelligence, athletic ability or temperament arise from many genes acting together and strong environmental influence. There are no distinct biological races, only populations with gradual differences. Every genetic difference began as a mutation in a single individual, so any genetic variant you may have was literally passed down through countless generations!  Genetically speaking, humanity is one enormous, extended family.

We influence one another emotionally. Emotions spread in the form of fear, kindness, anger or calm. Trauma and healing can pass through families and societies. Compassion and violence both ripple outward. How we treat others shapes the mental and emotional world we all live in.

Because our actions affect others, responsibility is shared, not isolated. Harm done to others eventually returns in social instability, suffering or fear. Acts of care strengthen trust and cooperation. This is why many ethical systems emphasize compassion and non-harm.

Many traditions describe interconnectedness as a core truth. In Buddhism, nothing exists independently. Indigenous traditions state that humans are part of the web of life, not above it. Modern science confirms mutual dependence. Put simply, what you do matters beyond you. Your thoughts, choices and actions participate in shaping the larger whole. 

With the historic amount of violence globally, it is important to remember that violence is never isolated. Even if it involves only two people, it spreads outward through interconnected systems. 

An act of violence affects: (1) the victim (physical and psychological harm); (2) the perpetrator (trauma, fear, moral injury, future consequences); (3) families, communities, and witnesses; and (4) society as a whole (normalizing fear or retaliation). Because we are all interconnected, harm does not stop where it begins.

Due to interconnection, hurt people often hurt others. Trauma passes through families and generations. Revenge escalates conflict. One violent act increases the likelihood of future violence, even among people who were not originally involved. Invisible violence takes the form of poverty, racism, war and exploitation, which are sustained by many small actions and systems. People may participate in this unknowingly through consumption, silence or obedience. Nobody is completely separate from the systems they live in.

In Buddhism, violence arises from ignorance of interconnection and the illusion of a separate, threatened “self.” When people believe they are isolated, they defend the self aggressively. When interconnection is understood, harming others is seen as harming oneself. 

Because all beings are interconnected, to injure another is to injure the whole. Compassion works against violence because of interconnection. Calm reduces fear. Understanding reduces hatred. Care breaks cycles of retaliation. Even small nonviolent actions can shift larger systems because influence flows through relationships. 

Interconnection does not mean everyone is equally guilty or that victims are responsible for their harm. It means that causes are complex and healing must be collective, not just individual. Violence spreads because we are connected. Healing also spreads for the same reason. Understanding doesn’t excuse violence. It explains why preventing harm requires compassion, awareness, and systemic change, not just punishment. 

Oh, I almost forgot about our interconnection with hurricanes. When you hear the word hurricane, you probably imagine roofs ripped off homes, flooded streets and families forced to evacuate to higher ground. These storms are often deadly and devastating. They leave behind shattered communities and billions of dollars in damage. But there is more to them than devastation. They can be our friends, too. They play an important role in Earth’s energy transport system among other important duties. 

Our planet constantly absorbs heat from the sun, especially near the equator. If that heat stayed there, the oceans would continue to warm up and the north and south pole would lose heat and continue to get colder. This imbalance would disrupt wind patterns, rainfall zones creating worsening droughts, floods and heat waves. Climate instability would be massive. Think of hurricanes as you would your central air conditioning and heating system. 

Even after landfall, hurricanes also bring ecological benefits that are rarely acknowledged. The rains they bring can refill rivers, lakes and ground water aquifers, which sustain crops and wildlife for months or even years. 

Hurricanes also reshape coastlines by moving sand, rebuilding barrier islands and flushing out stagnant coastal waters. This improves water quality and nutrient balance for wildlife and marine animals. Fallen trees and natural debris create spaces in forests, allowing new growth and bio diversity to thrive. Nutrient-rich sediment left behind by floodwaters improves soil fertility for future plant growth. Hurricanes stir the ocean waters which mixes oxygen and nutrients into the surface layer where most marine life exists that benefit fish and coral ecosystems. 

What can we do to alleviate so many disasters plaguing our world? By understanding interconnectedness and applying what we learn from Buddhism including mindfulness, the Middle Way, the Eightfold Path, and other lessons. We can create a harmonious relationship with everything living or not.