the expansive sense of self
An ethically and spiritually mature human being has necessarily developed what I call an "expansive sense of self". This person understands that nothing exists in isolation, that all of life and existence is wholly interconnected, and what happens in one place will affect all other places. The web of being leaves no corner untouched.
From this understanding stems a reflexive corollary, which is that we do not live for ourselves as defined by the limitations of our bodies or our immediate sphere of experience (such as our nuclear families), but rather, we must live in service to all beings, to all life. If all of life is connected to us in some way, then the only meaningful way to make decisions is to take into consideration what actions would serve the highest collective good.
It is not a burden or a sacrifice to live for the sake of the greatest collective good; it imbues life with meaning and an unparalleled sense of camaraderie and belonging. It is those who do not feel they belong who fall prey to the illusion that there can an individual wellbeing that is not at all times encompassed by a collective wellbeing. And once you see it, you can never un-see it.
Growing into an expansive sense of self endows a person with a certain fearlessness. When you live your life in service to the totality, the collective, in other words, to life itself, you begin to gain proof of your protected status, your expansive identity. When you sow goodness into the fabric of the universe, you become clothed in that very same fabric of goodness. They often come in unexpected ways and at unexpected times, but certainly these little proofs find their way to those who act in service of the highest good. To become unafraid because you understand your true and highest identity is perhaps the most liberating experience we can have as human beings. At the same time, it is something we must choose over and over again.
Hopefully, once you have gained some glittering shards of this cosmic proof, you can wear them around your neck like the tokens of universal blessing that they are, and in that way, never forget for too long what they symbolize.