What happens when I think I'm in this alone

I look out my window today because I hear a lot of people outside. I see a guy prepping a blunt. He's sitting on the curb in between two cars putting weed in a blunt. It's 4:30 in the afternoon on a Monday. I watch him for about 15 seconds to make sure he's doing what I think he's doing and then I walk outside and ask if he can do that elsewhere. He says that he's waiting for his ride to come to the car and taps the car to his right. I go in the house and start thinking. Do I remember the transition? Do I remember the point in time when it became o.k. to sit in the street and roll up a fat one? I can vaguely remember people starting to not give a f*ck. I want to say it started with my generation. The one that followed me and the one that followed it are very into themselves. By that I mean, we do things and aren't as necessarily concerned with the impact or influence on others. I'm sure that is a variation of a personal freedom but with freedom comes a different level of responsibility. I guess that's why I'm disturbed. We have no problem living freely but we shun the responsibility that comes along with the freedom. It ain't really free. I subscribe to the idea that we are all interconnected. I know this in theory and am making it more of a habit of practice than I have in the recent past. Everything I do, don't do, say, or neglect to say affects others. EVERYTHING. When I hurt others, I'm essentially hurting myself because energy is reciprocated and I have to be responsible for what I put out there not only for others, but for me as well.

When I live as if there isn't enough goodness to go around or when I live as if my world is THE world, I'm bound to create all type of imbalances that ripple throughout the lives of people I know and don't know. I was talking to a friend about building a relationship resume. What if we had to interview to get into relationships? What if the next person reviewed all of our previous relationship behaviors to determine if we were the right candidate for them? How often would we NOT get the "job"? And I'm not just talking about intimate partner relationships either. What if a written document outlining our relationships with our children, parents, co-workers, employers, employees, acquaintances, neighbors, friends, and strangers were all used to determine whether or not we engaged in new relationships? Would you get the next "job" you applied for?

When I think I'm in this alone, it's easy for me to disregard other people's feelings, needs, desires, etc. Hell, I can even neglect my own because I think I'm the only one who's affected. The truth of the matter is that we're not alone. Everything we do affects someone else. Every kind word and good deed AND every criticism and under-handed action affects you AND others. If you know anything about six degrees of separation, you may be able to understand connectedness. You may be able to understand the gravity of thinking that you are in this by yourself. We aren't disconnected from each other. We are individuals connected at the core of our essence to each other. I would like to be a lot more careful about the energy I bring to myself and others. I would like you too as well.