Becoming close to all living beings
“Our sense that we are an island, an independent self-sufficient individual, bears no relation to reality. It is closer to the truth to picture ourself as a cell in the vast body of life, distinct yet intimately bound up with all living beings. We cannot exist without others and they in turn are affected by everything we do. The idea that it is possible to secure our own welfare whilst neglecting that of others, or even at the expense of others, is completely unrealistic.”
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Eight Steps to Happiness.