In a world that feels increasingly fragmented—by politics, screens, and endless scrolling—it’s easy to forget a profound truth that ancient civilizations across the globe all converged upon. This is the foundation of everything: You are not separate. Not from the divine, not from each other, not from the universe itself. You never were, and you never could be.
I recently dove into Chase Hughes’ latest YouTube video (shoutout to Carlie Margheri for the TikTok nudge that brought it to my feed), and it hit like a wave crashing on the shore. Part 1 of his “5 Truths” series unpacks this idea with raw clarity, weaving together threads from quantum physics to sacred texts. It’s a reminder that we’ve strayed far from what our ancestors knew deep in their bones. Let’s break it down, metaphor by metaphor, and see why this truth isn’t just ancient history—it’s the operating system of reality.
The Universal Agreement: Echoes from Every Corner of the Ancient World
Every major civilization on Earth arrived at this revelation independently, yet they all sang the same song. Separation? It’s an illusion we’ve bought into, a glitch in our perception that’s left us isolated and anxious.
- From the Upanishads (Ancient India): “Tat tvam asi” – “You are that.” Not connected to the divine, not loved by it. You are it. The eternal essence is wearing your human skin like a costume for a cosmic play.
- Jesus’ Words in the Gospels: “The kingdom of God is within you.” Forget temples or tomes—it’s not out there in stone or scripture. It’s in you, pulsing with the same life force that animates the stars.
- Sufi Mystics (Islamic Tradition): “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” One tiny vessel, holding the infinite. Vastness compressed into form.
- Hermetic Texts (Egyptian-Greek Wisdom): “All is one.” Simple, stark, and unyielding. No divisions, no “me vs. them.”
- Daoism (Ancient China): “Everything is the Dao, expressing itself in 10,000 forms.” The way of the universe isn’t a distant river—it’s the current flowing through every leaf, every breath, every thought.
- Popol Vuh (Mayan Sacred Book): “Heart of sky, heart of earth.” The cosmos isn’t a machine; it’s a single, living being with a heartbeat we all share.
- Buddhism: There’s no separate self. The “I” you cling to? It’s a mirage in the mind’s desert.
- Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism): “Creation is one emanation, divided only in appearance.” One light, splintered by our limited sight—like a prism fooling us into seeing rainbows as separate colors.
Even modern quantum physics echoes this: Everything emerges from one field, fragmented only by our perception. Particles entangled across vast distances? That’s the universe winking at itself, reminding us there’s no “you versus the world.” There’s only this—one grand experience, viewed through your eyes.
The Wave Metaphor: Your Life as the Ocean’s Temporary Dance
Picture the ocean: endless, undivided, alive with motion. A wave rises—cresting, crashing, full of its own drama. It seems distinct, with its shape, speed, and story. But zoom out: It’s not separate. It’s the ocean, briefly playing at being “wave.”
That’s you. Your birth? The ocean rising. Your life? The wave’s wild ride. Death? It dissolves back into the whole. You never stopped being the sea; you just forgot, lost in the foam of daily distractions.
Ancient texts hammer this home:
- “One spirit.”
- “One God and Father of all.”
- “As above, so below.”
- “You are that.”
- “The kingdom is within.”
- “All is mind.”
- “Everything is the Tao.”
They’re all arrows pointing to the same target: You are the universe, aware of itself. The divine peeking through human eyes, just for now. The world isn’t out there—it’s in you, unfolding like a dream you scripted in your sleep.
The Raw Underbelly: How Forgetting Separation Fuels Our Suffering
Here’s the gut punch mystics only whispered: If separation is a lie, then so much of what we build our lives on—our identities, our fears, our endless striving—might be a house of cards.
- The Illusion’s Toll: Believing you’re a lone island sparks terror—of loss, death, rejection, scarcity. We chase validation like it’s oxygen, defend our egos like fortresses, and hoard control as if the universe might run out.
- The Awakening Shift: Remember your true nature, and the spell breaks. Fear evaporates. Conflict? It was just waves clashing, not enemies at war. Loneliness? A forgotten address on the ocean floor. Death? Not an end, but a return home—meaning reborn.
Life reveals itself as a single field of consciousness, splintering into billions of “mes” to play, forget, and rediscover. We’re not broken humans groping for light; we’re light, fragmented for the thrill of reunion.
Why This Truth Foundations Everything Else
Chase nails it: This isn’t just Truth #1—it’s the bedrock. If we’re not separate from each other or the cosmos, then reality’s rules rewrite themselves. Scarcity? Myth. Division? Malware. What follows in the series (can’t wait for parts 2-5) will likely build on this: How do we live as the ocean, not the wave?
If this resonates, dive into Chase Hughes’ full video—it’s a portal. And props to Carlie Margheri for the TikTok spark . In a noisy world, these reminders feel like coming home.
What ancient wisdom has reshaped your view of “self”? Drop a comment below—let’s weave more threads into this tapestry.
