REPOST: More on "Why Love When Losing Hurts So Much?"

Just perused a great and important Guide Lecture called: "THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RELATIONSHIP."

Certain things can only be accomplished in terms of deep growth, both emotionally and spiritually, in the context of relationship with other human beings, and the more powerful and intimate the relationship, the more the potential for growth.

Here are some excerpts:

"Relationship represents the greatest challenge for the individual. It is only in relationship with others that unresolved problems - the difficulties and conflicts that still exist within the individual human psyche - are affected and activated. Because of this, many individuals withdraw from contact and interaction with others. Sometimes the illusion can be maintained that the problems arise from the other person because one feels disturbance only in the presence of others, and not when by oneself.

"Being alone elicits the inner call for contact. The less that contact is cultivated, the more acute the longing becomes. Contact makes it difficult to maintain for very long the illusion that the inner self is faultless and harmonious. It requires mental aberration to claim repeatedly that others and not the self are the cause when problems arise in relationships. This is why relationship is simultaneously a fulfillment, a challenge, and a gauge to one's inner state. The friction that arises from relating with others can be a sharp instrument for self-recognition. Many aspects of inner problems are never activated when one withdraws from this challenge and sacrifices the fulfillment of intimate contact.

"The resulting illusion of inner peace and unity has even led to the idea that spiritual growth is furthered by isolation. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Intervals of seclusion are necessary for inner concentration and self-confrontation. But these periods should always alternate with contact. The more intimate such contact is, the more it bespeaks of spiritual maturity."