ACTION 4
The Unitive Impulse
Celebrate Our Shared Humanity
One experience that was indelibly imprinted in my soul was watching the millions of people around the world respond to the fire. Whether they were Masai warriors from the East African savanna, Chinese children witnessing the flame ascend the Great Wall, or Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher receiving the flame from eleven ethnic neighborhoods in London at 10 Downing Street, each reacted with a palpable sense of awe. Witnessing the fire that was encircling the world provided each an emotionally uplifting experience of our shared humanity. I have come to call this experience the “unitive impulse.” It is the yearning for a connection with the other human beings with whom we share this planet. The quickest pathway to peace on earth is experiencing the unitive impulse that connects us all as human beings.
The First Earth Run was coded with the unitive impulse. This included torch passing rituals, candle lighting ceremonies, musical and cultural events, poster competitions, following the torch of peace around the world through the media and in classrooms, even speeches of heads-of-state about our human connection and their aspirations for peace on earth. Several heads-of-state commented that they had never been asked to talk about such things and how ennobling it was for them.
How you activate the unitive impulse is only limited by your imagination. The whole world is your palette. Some ideas include creating a peace table where you invite people from different cultures to share their food and break bread together; a living room conversation where you honor and learn from each other’s differences; and a community cultural event where you partake of the richness of each other’s music, dance and poetry.
Imagine a planet where people celebrate that which connects us as human beings. Imagine a world where the richness of each culture is honored. Imagine bringing the unitive impulse to your community.
