Posted by Staff on March 20th, 2007 — Posted in Personal Relationships
Personal relationships are of many kinds, depending on experience, interest, economic status, political affiliation, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and an endless plethora of other criteria. Regardless of who one is, she or he depends on personal relationships for growth and to establish her or his particular identity in society. For this reason, personal relationships are integral and essential in human existence.
As stated above, the most distinctive and important effect of personal relationships is to establish and exercise one’s particular identity in society. Without a social identity, a person is lost and is lefting drifting without purpose or contribution to the growth and maintenance of that society. It is imperative, then, that one forms relationships with others to make a way through life, to find direction.
This is particularly true with intimate and romantic relationships. These are the most influential, even more than those connected with occupation. Why? Because sexuality and mate selection hold a primacy in the life of every human being; people are formost sexual beings by nature, so that drive holds the strongest need for satisfaction, whether one is heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or any one of a host of other preferences. Personal relationships based on sexuality and companionship, then, are a priority for everyone.
This is why there are so many online personal sites and why so many young people are drawn to social events and places that facilitate dating and mate searches. A young man’s first date generates more excitement and anxiety than a twisted ankle in a high school game.
The sex industry fits right in here as well.Not only are there more adult-oriented materials to reinforce an individual’s sexual status and intimate attraction to other human beings, but the industry that markets those materials accumulates a higher profit than any other industry in the world. This is not contingent on morality or immorality; it is reality.
This is no surprise. As said, all humans sexual beings, always in search of the exciting and ideal, and quite often elusive, personal relationship that confirms who they are as human beings, clarifies their respective social roles, and facilitates their desires and needs for closeness and sexual satisfaction. In this sense, personal relationships are humanity’s primary need for survival; without them, human are nothing.
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Posted by Staff on March 20th, 2007 — Posted in Relationships
People in relationships are as varied as the relationships themselves. Attractions and drives are different and dependent on individual preferences and the dynamic between the two people involved. Relationships, then, cannot be defined in some pre-determined definition but are defined by the perspectives, needs, and wants of those involved.
One common dynamic between people in relationships is that of passion. This drive is one of the strongest forces in human behavior. This isn’t based on interests but on pure physical attraction in conjunction with the heat generated by the love two people share. Some people in relationships find themselves kissing as a result of watching a romantic movie, whereas others will be drawn to the bed simply from discussing the same book both have read.
That brings up another common dynamic in relationships: intellectual challenge. Many people in relationships, especially those of different kinds of intellects, are drawn to one another due to the constant challenges presented by the other. When people in relationships are in constant intellectual conflicts (i.e. arguments, debates) they find themselves drawn to overcome the challenges set before them. This is stimulating and serves to maintain the ongoing fascination between two people. Their relationship stays interesting, and they remain attracted to one another as far as minds go, and, of course, it can even lead to sex as well.
Yet another prevalent dynamic that makes a relationship appealing is that of humor. Laughter is, indeed, the best medicine, as the saying goes. Many women find men with a sense of human very sexy, and those men absolutely love the lightheartedness of women who laugh. Humor, which is based on fact as the individual sees it, also has its intellectual side, which can inspire challenge between two people in a relationship.
These dynamics, and many others, quite often are interrelated and work together to make relationships work. That’s what makes each relationship special and unique and valuable, and why the combination of persons involved determines how these dynamics interact and where the relationship goes.
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Posted by Staff on March 20th, 2007 — Posted in Spiritual Relationships
Finding a connection between spiritual relationship and spirituality throughout life is not always an easy one, and it is different for each person. Everyone looks for meaning, for something that claims for them “I am special and and important and belong for these reasons and purposes . . . .” For some, finding this happens right away; for others, it takes a lifetime. Still, the journal is usually a mind-absorbing and intriguing one because no one knows what kinds of connections she or he will find that hold relevance between their own spirituality and the spiritual relationships they foster and embrace.
Spiritual relations exist to help individuals on their journey to find whatever it is they are looking for. Therefore, each relationship is different and brings something different to table (err, altar?). For this reason, all spiritual relationships, whether or not they serves as “final destinations,” are valued immensely by those who are involved in them. Some types of spiritual relationships include: priest-congregation, mentor-students, orator-listener/spectator, parent-child, and, the ultimate one, God-human. This last is, presumably, the ultimate spiritual relationship, but personal religious and spiritual beliefs will determine that for each person.
Spirituality is an aspect of human’s experience. Its meaning is debateable, but it can refer to more than religion and God, such as a pertaining to a sense of belonging, having a sense of importance, finding some form of enlightenment and happiness. Spirituality, then, is recognized by everyone, including athiests, and is a major motivator of life’s journey, regardless of what it is, because all of the above-mentioned criteria for spirituality are a part of everyone’s life.
Regardless of who one is or how one lives there is always a connection between spiritual relationships and spirituality that keeps one moving and changing and searching for that ideal state. The struggle makes one stronger and wiser so one has an idea what to look for, and, once it is achieved, will let one know one is there.
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