From Isolation to Brotherhood

 

There’s a quiet truth that runs through life, often unnoticed:

"Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it."
— Zhuangzi

How often do we pride ourselves on what we know?
We find comfort in our skills, our ideas, our familiar circles. Yet, the very fabric of life is held together by things we don’t fully grasp — the kindness of a stranger, the unseen sacrifices of others, the wisdom of generations past. When we pause and recognize how much we rely on what is beyond us, humility can take root. And with humility comes the first real opportunity for connection.

Connection, after all, begins with something as simple as a smile.
I have often made faces in the mirror until I couldn’t help but smile at myself. As Yoko Ono wisely states:

"Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life."

A common axiom for life is that before we can extend joy to others, we must first find it within ourselves. A simple, intentional smile — even if it feels silly at first — can spark a shift in how we carry ourselves through the day. And that shift is contagious.

However, connection isn’t just about individual positivity. It’s about dreaming together.
I believe Yoko Ono has it right when she said:

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."

Many of us know the feeling of carrying dreams silently, believing they are too fragile, too personal, or too impossible to share. But something powerful happens when we open up and invite others into those dreams. A shared vision gains strength. It becomes something bigger than ourselves — it becomes reality.

Sadly, many of us have spent our lives doing the opposite.
From working Step 4 in recovery, we learn:

"We have not once sought to be one in a family, to be a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society. Always we tried to struggle to the top of the heap, or to hide underneath it. This self-centered behavior blocked a partnership relation with any one of those about us. Of true brotherhood we had small comprehension."
— Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 53

Instead of seeking partnership, we sought superiority or invisibility.
We measured ourselves against others, either competing or retreating, but rarely connecting. And in doing so, we cut ourselves off from the very thing that could heal us: true brotherhood, real friendship, humble belonging.

As the scriptures and prophets teach us, true strength lies in unity and love:

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another."
— Romans 12:10 (KJV)

"When we are united, we can accomplish great things. ... Unity is a principle of heaven."
— President Henry B. Eyring

Today, we have the chance to choose differently.

• To smile — first at ourselves, and then at the world.

• To dream — not alone, but together.

• To live — not above or beneath others, but with them.

In recognizing how much lies beyond our own small circle of knowledge and ambition, we open ourselves to a life far richer than we could have imagined alone.

Maybe the greatest wisdom is not just knowing more about the world beyond us, but loving more within it.