Cultivating beautiful personal relationships is the focus of Chapter 6 in Easwaran’s Take Your Time. And this theme runs throughout the book. In every chapter Easwaran is helping us make our lives more fulfilling by nurturing personal relationships.
This week let’s read pages 135–142. Here Easwaran gives inspiring stories of how his granny taught this precious skill. And he helps us understand the obstacles that stand in the way of beautiful relationships:
“In most disagreements, it is really not ideological differences that divide people. It is often self-will, lack of respect, putting ourselves first instead of the other person. Sometimes all that is required is listening with respect and attention to the other person’s point of view.”
Love, trust, and respect, he explains, come naturally when self-will subsides.
Is there a relationship in your life that you wish you could improve? Read this article for tips from Easwaran. Try applying those tips, even if you can’t apply them directly to this particular relationship.
As a challenge this week, try this experiment from the “Ideas and Suggestions” on pages 151–152:
When you find you are getting impatient and want to get your own way in some little matter of convenience, try putting the other person’s comfort and convenience first. You can begin within the circle of your family and friends, where there is already a basis of love and respect on which to build.
Let’s return to the audio section of the Easwaran Digital Library for our spiritual bonus and continue exploring the Passages for Building Positive Qualities.* To support our current focus, try clicking the heading Putting Others First near the bottom of the page. Then in the player near the top of the page check Play all passages in this category and use the Play button to begin.
* You’ll need to log in for the link above to work. If it’s your first time, use the button Create new account from the login page.