Learning to connect with others and feel the sense of joy and safety that brings is how we begin to overcome the ego’s need to be autonomous. But we cannot connect to the “things” or forms of the world that are the symbols of our separateness. We cannot relate to being joined to a tree, an animal or even another human form. But we can relate to being part of a consciousness that is trying to justify its belief in separateness and differences by expressing as a tree, an animal or a different person. Recognizing it is the same consciousness will begin to bring a better awareness of what oneness means.