myself because i am everywhere i go.

On a second thought, in a way all relationships are connected somehow. ..if one goes bad the others get affected

Myself, and then my kids.

' On a second thought, in a way all relationships are connected somehow. ..if one goes bad the others get affected'

Bingo. And which one do we have absolute control over?

I view it as being very emotionally generous to others by being very emotionally generous to myself. If I'm broke, it _will_ reflect in all my relationships. That's not generous...

I view it as the strength and guidance I have instilled in me, from other people over time, has helped me to become my best ME. My parents, grandparents (they are passed away now) are incredibly huge in the person I am.

I could not be my best me without the love and support from others, and I definitely wouldn't be the best Mom I am had I not had the backing I did.

From my own personal perspective and experience...

My relationship with my sister went downhill from the early '90s until roughly 2007, and didn't improve until I put a lot of hard work into my relationship with myself.

She was a hard-core and stone-cold alcoholic. So much so she passed away in December 2012 at the rather young age of 53.

Aside from all the emotional and financial trauma her years and decades of addiction placed on the family, there was something else at play.

I saw certain negative aspects of myself in her. In judging her I was really judging myself.

The more I looked into myself and addressed my issues, the more I began to see her in a different light. I began to see more and more positive aspects of myself in her.

The better my relationship with myself became, the better my relationship with her became.

I'm so very grateful I was able to see her in a different light the last six or so years of her life. I know it meant the world to her. It also meant the world to me.

Sure, this is an extreme example, but the same holds true of all our relationships.

My familial relationships have been stong and supportive...providing a great internal foundation for myself throughout my life.

I would never be who I am, had it not been for that support, enhancing my good qualities and helping me when I fell, catching me when I needed it.

My strong, familial relationships speak volumes to me about their importance in me becoming the person I am today.

I don't subscribe to organized religion any longer, however I would say I'm spiritual.

There's an underlying theme repeated in many teachings across many religions/spiritual beliefs, cultures and vast sweeps of time.

Oneness. Unconditional love. Because what we do to one, we do to many (all), and also ourselves. What we do to ourselves, we do to others. Both good and bad.

Namaste in the spiritual sense. Many of Jesus' sayings echo this sentiment too.

In doing for myself, I'm doing for others. In doing for others, I'm doing for myself. The degree to which we are okay with ourselves is the degree to which we can be okay with others. It's a reinforcing cycle but it necessarily has to start within. No one can give it to us. We have to give it to ourselves, and in doing so we give it to others.

Enlightenment is fully and truly understand and believing this at our deepest core. Our authentic self.

Of course this is all my point of view. My belief.

with my dog, my truck and my country and western banjo.

Wait, that's not right.

With my children. (dog included) and then myself.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets

If you buy into the concept of oneness, that is a part of us is in God and a part of God is in us, loving God is in fact loving yourself.

If a part of us is in God and a part of God is in us, one can infer a part of us is in others and a part of others is in us.

It's hard to have belief in the 2nd without first believing the 1st.




The reason why we do namaste has a deeper spiritual significance. It recognizes the belief that the life force, the divinity, the Self or the God in me is the same in all. Acknowledging this oneness with the meeting of the palms, we honor the god in the person we meet.

(takes in deep breath, slowly lets it out... glances at soap box under desk, then slowly decides to just walk away)

Don't be coy Dave. :-)

At the moment, my most important relationship in my life seems to be with money. And it's not a very good relationship, because money comes...and then it goes.

Another important relationship in my life is my relationship with work. I have to love and enjoy what I'm doing, for a living and with my life. The work that I love and enjoy doing (writing, videomaking) isn't there very often, so I've had to do work (security officer) that I don't really love and enjoy that much. Being a security officer feels mechanical to me, is more a game, of milking the clock, of exerting the least amount of effort and avoiding aggravating, problematic people. I want to love and enjoy people! I don't love and enjoy people in that position. In that position, I only get to see the worst in people.

Yeah, my relationship with money (and work that I enjoy) seems to be: Just when I think I can rely on it (being there), it abandons me.

you need to be more assertive with your money. Let it know how you feel.

"I don't like it when you disappear like you do."