At a fine multi-cultural restaurant…
Waiter: Good evening Madam, Monsieur , have you made a selection?
Patrons: Yes, we would like the Love & Passion entrée for two.
Waiter: Ah oui. An excellent choice. If I may recommend several accompaniments to compliment your experience? Our chef recommends the Self Acceptance salad with Sovereignty dressing to prepare your palate for the main dish. Frequent visitors know the passion in this particular entrée can be quite spicy; it goes well with one of our blended wines. I would suggest the Integrity & Accountability house red.
For the side dish, we are featuring a fresh vegetable medley consisting of marinated Emotional Differentiation, steamed Revelatory Honesty, medallions of Shared Perspective, seared Spontaneity and half-baked Humor. As you can see on the menu, it has been honored with the “heart healthy” symbol.
To extend your enjoyment we offer a fine selection of desserts. As your meal of Love & Passion is being savored, our award winning pastry chef will prepare a Bliss & Ecstasy soufflé with a flavor that will outlast your entrée and complete your experience here.
Patrons: That sounds great! We had some friends order the Love & Passion, but they ignored their waiter and ordered the “What’s in it for me?” salad with the “What have you done for me lately?” dressing. Knowing them as we do, we weren’t surprised to hear them criticizing and complaining about the food here. In fact, they accused you of making them sick and are threatening to sue.
Waiter: Ah oui, I remember them. I had recommended the Guidance & Therapy entrée, but he claimed to be allergic to any kind of counseling. And to complicate matters they ordered the “How Could You?!” margarita’s… with salt, of course!
Patrons: That’s them alright. But don’t worry, they won’t sue. You and this restaurant are just their complaint du jour.
Waiter: That’s good news. You know, some people get so wrapped up in the hurry-worry world, they forget that a meal like Love & Passion is meant to be prepared thoughtfully, and enjoyed slowly. We must give ourselves time to process what we are consuming and trust our more soulful senses. May I be so bold as to ask how long you two have been together? You look so young!
Patrons: Well, we’re old enough to enjoy the Integrity & Accountability house red, and we’ve been together long enough to know that your recommendations make perfect sense…
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Wisdom has it that relationships begin as 95% love and 5% psychology and “devolve” into 5% love and 95% psychology “after the honeymoon”.
Underlying issues of despair, depression, abandonment, self worth, frustration, worry, doubt, vulnerability, forgetfulness, self-confidence, irritability, obsessive materialism, meaninglessness, friendlessness and fear of the future are just some of the personality characteristics that lead to empty and unfulfilling relationships. These characteristics represent aspects of our psychology that are seeking resolve through our understanding of our experiences so that they lead, ultimately, to knowledge, wisdom and eventually…enlightenment.
Entering relationship while still conflicted at your core, still wrestling with the incongruence that is created out of these unresolved issues, provides a fertile environment for drama. Those that draw themselves to the path of Soul/Self awareness, who learn to see everyone as masters in the making, and who are dedicated to bringing their authentic, integrated and whole Self to relationship learn to accept their relationship challenges as unresolved aspects of their own consciousness. From that perspective they may find love, passion, equanimity, and so much more.
Choosing the right partner is like choosing food. You must first understand your particular chemistry, resolve your own indigestible attitudes and stay clear of known allergens – thus avoiding the relationship equivalent of détresse intestinale.
