The Special Relationship
Labels
We give labels to the various kinds of relationships we form with each other and the more intimate the relationship the more special its status in our lives. In this article I consider the real function of relationships and not the illusory function we all accept and never question.
The body as a means of communication
If we accept that relationship is a means of communicating and expressing ourselves to each other then why would any one form of expression be any more special than any other unless of course we have attached meaning to each? A relationship is in essence a form of communication then couldn't we see it as a kind of dance?
Agreement
In order to enter any kind of relationship with another person we must come to an agreement and that agreement is based on rules. In other words the dance steps must first be mastered before the dance or the relationship can be expressed.
Culture and Belief
Our cultural backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs form the basis upon which we enter relationships. Unless we already share these influences, entering a special relationship becomes difficult but not hopeless. We could choose to ignore or suspend our own cultural biases and beliefs and accept those of the person we wish to enter into a relationship with. We could choose to educate the other person about our values and communicate the personal influences that determine the rules by which we form relationships.
Usually some compromise is reached if the relationship is deemed to be important enough to enter. But one thing is certain, albeit subconscious, we do not enter a relationship unless we feel we are going to get something from it. This, in effect, tells us that we lack something we can only get from another. This belief in lack is, therefore, propagated by the meaning we place on our special relationships.
Rules of Engagement
So from the onset we can see that our relationships are finally determined by the rules by which we live. The rules I speak of here are learned and depend on the culture we grow up in; the experiences we have and the beliefs we form. In essence we communicate our reality with each other and if the other person shares our belief of reality then we are more likely to form a relationship with that person. In the same way if a dance partner keeps standing on your toes no matter how man times you ask them to stop then you would be less likely to continue dancing them.
Friendship
I don't think anyone would argue with me if I say that friendship rates fairly highly on our scale for relationships. But what makes friendship rate so highly compared to all our other relationships? If friendship is just another form of dance then why attach special meaning to one dance over another?
Special Relationships and The Past
What if all relationships, and especially the ones we call special, are the most effective means used by the ego to keep us separate and believing in the illusion we call life?
In order to form special relationships, and especially intimate ones, we need bodies without which the “special” relationship is meaningless. What most people fail to realise is that the value we invest in our earthly relationships bind us to our bodies in a way that leaves us no alternative but to return to this earth again and again in bodies to express the dance of life and death.
Our special relationships therefore bind us to the past more securely than any other experience and in this way the ego ensures that we remain asleep. To wake up from this sleep would require us relinquishing our special relationships and this for someone asleep would be deemed insane. But for those who have woken up and realise the truth that for all this you gave up nothing!
The illusion of the special relationship designed to keep us apart
We are all one and it is in giving special meaning to our relationships that we imagine we are our bodies and separate from each other. We seek to complete each other through special relationships that ultimately only serve to keep us chained to the past and asleep to who we really are. The truth lies behind the veil we sleep behind. The ancient ones called the veil “maya” which means illusion!
“No special relationship is experienced in the present. Shades of the past envelop it, and make it what it is. It has no meaning in the present, and if it means nothing now, it cannot have any real meaning at all.” - A Course in Miracles
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