{"id":299,"date":"2011-07-14T08:02:30","date_gmt":"2011-07-14T12:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/awakeintheworld\/?p=299"},"modified":"2011-07-12T08:41:44","modified_gmt":"2011-07-12T12:41:44","slug":"the-human-experience-connecting-with-human-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/awakeintheworld\/2011\/07\/the-human-experience-connecting-with-human-nature.html","title":{"rendered":"The Human Experience: Connecting with Human Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Recently I saw a film called, \u201cThe Human Experience.\u201d It followed some young guys on a quest around the world to understand human nature. The two brothers in their early 20\u2019s had suffered abuse at the hands of their father. To discover the breadth and depth of humanity\u2019s ability to rise from difficulty and also to suffer, they invited new experiences into their lives.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/%7E\/media\/977C28685AC1480797B2DCD891703144.ashx?w=220&amp;h=165\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"165\" \/><\/p>\n<p>They spent several days in the dead of winter sleeping with the homeless on New York\u2019s streets. They shivered and felt hunger and despair. One homeless person they interviewed described a bitter cold night where he was with several dogs. \u201cPeople took the dogs and left me behind,\u201d he said. Those words made my heart sink \u2013 the way we could value dogs and relate to them, but not to our human brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n<p>The brothers travelled to India and volunteered at an orphanage. Many of the children been abandoned by their parents because of their severe handicaps. But the children were radiant and joyful despite their hardships. Next the brothers flew to a leper colony and listened to the stories of the outcasts. Simply having the brothers listen to the lepers brought a tremendous healing as the lepers felt respected and loved. In the end the brothers reconnected with their father and embraced him with love and forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p>This film may not be for everyone. It confronts us with the real difficulties of human existence \u2013 and it also holds out the possibility of connection. When these connections occur, and people like these two brothers reach out heart to heart to others, all hearts involved can mend \u2013 if only a little. Reaching out is a step. And step by step is how we can change the world to make it a better place.<\/p>\n<p>What small step will you make today to heal a heart and make the world a better place?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is author of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Awake-World-Practices-Divinely-Inspired\/dp\/0738727229\">Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a>. A visionary and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind\/body\/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com\/\">http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently I saw a film called, \u201cThe Human Experience.\u201d It followed some young guys on a quest around the world to understand human nature. The two brothers in their early 20\u2019s had suffered abuse at the hands of their father. To discover the breadth and depth of humanity\u2019s ability to rise from difficulty and also&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,10,4,125,3],"tags":[132,203,202],"class_list":["post-299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-oneness","category-spiritual-practice","tag-connecting-with-others","tag-human-experiences-of-suffering-and-joy","tag-respect-and-love-of-others"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Human Experience: Connecting with Human Nature - Awake in the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Human Experience: Connecting with Human Nature - Awake in the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently I saw a film called, \u201cThe Human Experience.\u201d It followed some young guys on a quest around the world to understand human nature. 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