Good relationship means healthy living
abracad, · Categories: externally authored, spiritualityBy: Lt Col. RK Langar
What is our relationship with people around us. Is our relationship only confirmed with our family members or does it go beyond. It is true that when a man is born in the world his only relationship then is with his family members like father, mother, brother and sisters. As he grows up he realizes that he has to build relationship with others also which includes his own self for a purposeful and sustainable living. Man is not an island. He is dependent on others and others are dependent on him in some way or the other. We all are interconnected. Mahabharata says that the whole world of mortals is an independent organism. Shri Sharda Devi the spiritual consort of Shri Rama Krishna has beautifully described our relationship with the world when she says that no one is a stranger; make the world your own.
For a relationship to be successful it should be anchored on love, concern for others and a sympathetic attitude. Relationships should be based on friendship and loyalty. Friendship is the foundation of all relationship. Husband and wife are friends first and then husband and wife. The other important thing is that the relationship should never be taken for guaranteed but nurtured with mutual respect. Relationships should never be coloured by what happened in the past but maintained in the light of the present. It should be blossomed by giving to others without any expectation of return. Truthfulness is the other focal point of good relationship.
First Relationship which we are required to maintain is our relationship with our own self. When we are good to our own self we spread goodness along. To be good to our own self means living holistically, giving proper attention to all constituents of our personality – physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Before we do that we should know ourselves in totality. We should know why we feel the way we feel, why we act in a particular way and why we speak the way we speak. This process of knowing ourselves is called self criticism, self analysis or self introspection. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna that you are your friend as well as your own enemy. When you lean towards morality you elevate yourself in your own eyes and in the eyes of others. You are your own enemy when your actions are based on instincts and impulses without being rational. By doing so you degrade yourself. We must keep our self in a healthy state by adhering to mindful living which is when we overcome our negative thoughts and understand our life moment to moment. All our actions which are undertaken should be guided by righteousness. We must constantly discriminate and exercise right choice in our day to day functioning.
Family is the home of our relationship. The fineness of our relationship with our family members is generally overlooked because we tend to take it lightly. While living with our family we learn to cultivate a spirit of interdependence. It also gives us an opportunity to understand finer aspects of the emotional aspect of our relationship. Our relationship with the society is to be oriented on the basic Vedantic thought that the world is one extended family. Therefore we should contribute towards a well being of society which the Gita calls LOKASAMGRAHA which means giving attention to the welfare and stability of the society and keeping people together. It also means fulfilling our obligations and sharing with others. A person with good interpersonal relationship is an asset to the society.
We have a responsibility for maintaining good relationship with our natural environments like water, earth, trees and plants. Environmental Relationship is a matter of deep concern for us as environment is considered sacred as per the Indian tradition. We worship trees, we honor rivers and call earth as mother earth. We honor our rivers. Honoring river means showing reverence for them and not dumping savage or garbage into them. Similarly worshiping trees means not cutting them indiscreetly for personal use. You cannot suddenly start loving natural environment unless you develop a loving attitude towards human beings. Human love guides to love our environment. For a man everything other than himself is an environment.
Our most important relationship is with God. God is our loving companion, our guide, friend and a well wisher. God is closer to us than the closest of the living being because he resides in us as our soul. When we relate our self with God we never feel alone. Deeper the faith we have in God more cordial shall be our relationship with Him. Our relationship with God becomes strong when we imbibe divine virtues in life. We have to become God like by clinging ourselves to a higher Ideal or goal of life.
Crux of our relationship is only one that is to remove our likes and dislikes for others which cause hindrance in our relationships. When you do that you are one with all.
See also:
Filed in: externally authored, spirituality
Leave a Reply