We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit.
David SuzukiRead
Every breath is a sacrament, an affirmation of our connection with all other living things, a renewal of our link with our ancestors and a contribution to generations yet to come. Our breath is a part of life's breath, the ocean of air that envelopes the earth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the significance of breath as a symbol of our interconnectedness with life.
David Suzuki's quote highlights the profound significance of each breath we take as more than just a biological function; it represents a sacred connection to all living beings, our ancestors, and future generations. By perceiving our breath as a sacrament, Suzuki encourages us to recognize our place within the larger tapestry of life, underscoring the importance of respecting and nurturing our environment as part of our shared existence.
Themes
BreathConnectionLifeInterconnectednessAncestors
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation workshop, I shared this quote to inspire a deeper connection to the act of breathing.
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Do you know how much land is under ice, rock and snow? Do you know why 90 percent of us live within 100 kilometres of the U.S. border? We have this idea we're a vast country. But the reality is that a lot of it, a huge amount, is uninhabitable.
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We no longer see the world as a single entity. We've moved to cities and we think the economy is what gives us our life, that if the economy is strong we can afford garbage collection and sewage disposal and fresh food and water and electricity. We go through life thinking that money is the key to having whatever we want, without regard to what it does to the rest of the world.
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