Ending relationships

“You cannot be given a new realization if your life is full of relationships with people, places and things that are not right for you, that will not help you.

"If you have to change your relationship with someone, and you realize you cannot go forward in a relationship with someone, would that be peaceful and elegant? No, not if you have a deep attachment to one another, or one of you has a deep attachment to the other. It would be really difficult, painful, upsetting.

If you are the person leaving, you will feel guilt and shame and uncertainty and great doubt. If you are the person being left, you will feel abandoned and cheated, manipulated perhaps, used, abused and so forth. That is change."

“Every possession you have should be either useful or inspiring to you. Every commitment and obligation must help you to prepare and to gain a foundation in Knowledge. For there are no neutral relationships in life. All your relationships with people, where you live, your possessions, your activities, are either strengthening or weakening you in taking the steps to Knowledge and in building a real foundation for your life.”

Directive

"It is wise for you to review your relationship involvements. Take each person that you have met, with whom you became seriously engaged, and see why you became involved, what attracted you, what happened in your relationship, who got blamed for the errors, how the relationship came to an end, if it has ended, what you thought you learned at that time and what you think you have learned now. This is a very good exercise and you can do this on your own. Though it may call up some painful memories for you, it will give you an overview of your participation in relationships."

See also

Backtrack

Maintaining relationships

Outset

Short Quotes About Relationships

Starting relationships

Further Study

• Relationships and Higher Purpose, Chapter 14: Completing Relationships

• Ending Violence Within (September 4, 2008)