We’re all connected, we have shared knowledge and that knowledge—for better or worse—is constantly evolving and changing.
—Thom Hartmann
Everything that is in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, is penetrated with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness.
—Hildegard of Bingen
In the new paradigm that humans will create in the future—and are already creating now—we are inextricably, intricately, and intimately connected. We have shared knowledge and experience. If we begin practicing living in relationship with our community now, cherishing our interdependence, then when we need one another for our survival, it will not feel as awkward or vulnerable as it has in the past to share our knowledge or ask our neighbor for help.
Interdependence is natural, because everything in, on, or under the earth, as Hildegard reminds us, is penetrated with relatedness. Relatedness, not isolation or fierce independence, is our natural state. If I do not know a particular skill, I may be able to ask my neighbor, or several neighbors, and if none of us knows it, we may be able to learn it together.
None of us can store food or water to last for the rest of our lives. We do and will need each other. Yes, everyone is responsible for preparing a reasonable amount of food and water for emergencies, and everyone should become relatively self-sufficient, but ultimately, we will not be able to survive without each other’s help.
For the most part, our challenge, as inhabitants of industrial civilization, is not self-sufficiency as much as it is interdependence, allowing ourselves to ask for and receive help from another. And while it’s true that food, water, medical supplies, tools, and other necessary items will be in short supply, and everyone is likely to fear sharing with others, we will ultimately discover that unless we share all of our resources, whether they are internal or external, our survival is in jeopardy, because we are, after all, penetrated with relatedness.