There are various ways to walk the spiritual path. We could pursue spiritual practices, tap into our intuition and creativity, or be deeply connected to nature or even with people. Through each of these means, we come one step closer to discovering our true self. More so, through relationships, romantic or otherwise, which brings our perfections and imperfections to the fore. When we acknowledge those imperfections and work on perfecting them through various relationships, it results in spiritual growth.
You might wonder how that’s even possible in this digital age, where people are ‘virtually’ falling in and out of love on social media platforms and are adept at switching their feelings on and off at will. But, what we often fail to realise is that every relationship we get into and every person we allow into our lives reveals something invaluable about us.
As Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand asserts in Atlas Shrugged, “People will always be attracted to the person who reflects the deepest vision of themselves.” Ironically though, who we are attracted to and why is often a subconscious process for many. This is because seldom do we take the time to get to know our true selves, let alone realise our own worth. Instead, we get into a relationship in search of validation. We expect our partners to make us feel adequate, secure, and happy. But, the moment there is a mismatch of expectations, the relationship gets turbulent.
As spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev writes in his blog, “You built all these relationships in pursuit of happiness. Or in other words, somewhere you are trying to squeeze some happiness out of people. Once you do this, your relationships will be in constant trouble. You cannot do without it, you cannot do with it. There is no sense of joy or happiness within you, and you are trying to extract it from somebody, and that person is trying to extract it from you.” We may all be able to relate to Sadhguru’s words as more often than not we depend on our partner for happiness. Every time our partner falls short in meeting our expectations, it wrecks the relationship a little and that goes on till the relationship reaches its breaking point. We stop believing in our own completeness and ability to feel happy, for ourselves, even within a relationship. So, irrespective of whether the relationship can be salvaged at this point, the bitter experience proves to be spiritual—it works as an eye-opener, reminding us to look inward, get to know ourselves better, and realise that we can feel complete and happy within ourselves.
Not all of us understand the profoundness of relationships. In fact, it may take us several failed relationships to even realise their spiritual importance.
Relationships foster spiritual growth by bringing our imperfections and insecurities to the surface. Acknowledging and working on these aspects within the context of relationships leads to personal growth and self-realization.
Relationships serve as mirrors, reflecting both our positive and negative aspects. They help us understand our true nature and prompt us to accept and work on ourselves.
Failed relationships teach us to accept ourselves and others, recognize the power to be happy lies within us, and offer opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery.
Struggles within relationships can enrich the spiritual path by encouraging introspection and self-analysis.
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