12/14/2025
🌿Sunday Reflection: The Deep Truth of Oneness🌿
Lately, I’ve been watching a series called Pluribus that presents a fascinating, if fictional, take on human connection. The premise? A virus is released into the world that unites all of humanity into a single, shared consciousness. Imagine that, no more "I" or "me," but instead, "we." Those affected by the virus become deeply empathic, morally aligned, and fundamentally unable to cause harm to another because, quite literally, to harm another is to harm oneself. Only twelve individuals remain untouched by the virus, still existing in separation, observing this strange, idealistic unity from the outside.
Of course, it’s television, and I suspect the storyline may eventually drift toward darker plotlines, as most entertainment does. But the concept sparked a powerful line of thought that feels especially relevant to our spiritual path, what would the world be like if we truly lived the principle of Oneness?
Oneness is not a new idea. It lies at the heart of many of the world’s wisdom traditions. The Golden Rule, a universal spiritual teaching, is a direct call to this idea, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
🌸In Christianity, it is spoken through Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."
🌸In Judaism, the Talmud says, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. That is the whole Torah."
🌸Islam teaches, "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."
🌸Hinduism proclaims in the Mahabharata, "This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you."
🌸In Buddhism, the Dhammapada reminds us, "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
Across cultures, languages, and eras, the same truth echoes. Why? Because on a soul level, we are not separate. We are one.
Imagine a world in which this Oneness was not merely a teaching to be pondered, but an embodied truth. Where no person would inflict harm, cheat, steal, betray, or lie because it would be as unnatural as harming oneself. This is not far-fetched spirituality. It’s a real possibility if we awaken to the unity beneath the illusion of separation.
But many still find themselves in constant battle, against others, against life, and tragically, against themselves. For these souls, Pluribus holds a mirror. It asks: Why do you fight? What are you defending? Is the battle within you?
There is a harsh truth here. Many illnesses of the body and spirit are born from the energy of division, inner conflict, anger, resentment, resistance. We make ourselves sick when we believe we are alone, when we armour ourselves against the world, when we deny our connection to others.
The virus in Pluribus may be fiction, but the possibility of a spiritually unified humanity is not. Oneness is our origin and our destiny. It is the truth we return to when we drop the masks of ego and the illusions of separation.
Let this reflection serve as a gentle reminder, when we hurt another, we hurt ourselves. When we heal ourselves, we heal the world.
This Sunday, let us recommit to the practice of seeing the divine in everyone, and to act accordingly. Not because we’re told to, but because we are each other.
We are One.
Be Blessed
Rev. Kim Etherington
