Relatedness Experienced

"You can't get enough of what you don't really want to make you happy."  Eric Hoffer

Whether it's a romantic relationship, a business relationship, a friendship or an "enemyship", the reason we get into a relationship with someone is to get what we want (or to avoid what we don't want). We don't stick around if we're not benefiting - or if, heaven forbid, we're having to give up too much.

And furthermore, whether we're conscious of it or not, we expect to get what we want in the relationship from the other(s) with whom we're in the relationship.

It is beginning to be apparent to us that to the extent that our attention is on getting something from the relationship, we lose sight of the fact that what really fulfills and satisfies us is relationship itself - the experience of being related!

In Bill Clinton's campaign: "It's the economy, Stupid!"
In our campaign: "It's the relationship itself, Stupid!"

In fact, when we're working at getting what we want from a relationship, we often find ourselves out of relationship and at odds with the other(s).

No one can make you happy. You can't get happiness from anyone or from anything they provide. You find yourself being happy when you experience just being with them.

When we experience being related, we are in sync with the natural world around us, in which every thing is happening in relationship to every other thing. We experience freedom, peace and ease.

"Ebony, Ivory, working in perfect harmony."  Paul McCartney