In our modern world, most of the emphasis is on separateness, on the leaf rather than the tree. Daily we receive the message, “Find your joy in your own way; live your life in your own way; find your fulfillment in your own way.” This drive for personal satisfaction is based on a cruel fiction: that the leaf can prosper without the living tree. In reality, none of us are separate; we are all part of the same creation, drawing our strength, happiness, and fulfillment from the cosmic tree. — Eknath Easwaran