Exploring Relationships

Exploring Relationships

It has been said that we become who we are through the relationships we have with others. I remember sitting in an auditorium at some point when the speaker said that our first awareness is of the limits of our own body - we move and feel and touch to discover that we do have boundaries. Our feet signify that we don't have bodies that go on forever. Then we become aware of an 'other' - usually a parent. We now realize that beyond our own physical limits, there is another 'body' to which we start to relate. 

It's through relationships that we learn who we are.... we belong to this family, not that one; this region, not another; this country, this culture, this community etc. In fact, several philosophies go as far as saying that we only become aware of who we are because of our relationships with others. 


I have come to understand that EVERYTHING is about relationships...   we have a relationship with our body, with money, with work, with our environment - with everything that is around us. However, the most important relationship is the one with our inner self. Our inner self goes by many names - our soul, our spirit, God, Universe, Source of All That Is - it doesn't matter about the label. It's that non-physical aspect of who we are, really, inside. 

So much of our time is spent on improving/perfecting our relationships with people/things outside of ourselves. We find ourselves trying all sorts of different strategies to make this happen. Yet, we often neglect the only relationship that matters - the one with our Inner Being. The strange thing is that when we get THAT relationship right, then all others fall into place. 







This is not new thinking. It has been a part of religious philosophies for centuries. I think this is what Jesus of Nazareth meant when he said, 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God..... ' also stating that 'the Kingdom of God is WITHIN you' (emphasis mine). Once that relationship has been tended to, 'then all these things shall be added unto you.' The Gautama Buddha said, “If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.” The Hindu Laws of Life include these statements:  Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul. Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves! 

It would seem that there is an underlying awareness that we need to put our own house in order so that we can empower ourselves to bring love, acceptance, and healing into all other relationships. 

Once we become aligned with our true selves, once we get that relationship right, the world is our oyster!