By Paige Leigh Reist┃Posted: April 2, 2019
If there’s one thing that everybody on this earth has in common, it’s a desire to have authentic human connections with one another. But whether the desire for these connections is romantic, familial, or platonic in nature, or even if you just want to have more harmonious relationships with your colleagues at work, there’s also another constant: relationships can be difficult.
One of the most common types of questions that spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar fields at his events are, of course, questions about relationships. Below, we’ve put together a few of our favorite of Sri Sri’s insights, so that you can build better connections, feel more appreciated, and give love freely.
How to navigate conflict in relationships
“Before you judge someone else, first see how you relate to them. How big a heart you have. How you can accommodate a person, and how much you can influence a person to change. This is what we need to look at. Sometimes when you get doubt, you know, the doubt is always about something that is positive--have you noticed that? We doubt the honesty of a person, we never doubt the dishonesty of a person.”
How to build a real, pure relationship
“Best not to try to build any relationship. Just be yourself! Be natural, be simple, you know? Relationships develop naturally. If you try to build a relationship, that is when you become a little artificial. Then your behaviour becomes artificial. It is not natural. Just imagine: Someone is trying to impress upon you. Don’t you notice that? If someone is trying to impress upon you, what do you do? You move away. See what you like? That is what others like also. You like someone to be very honest, open, natural, unassuming with you, correct? That’s exactly what others also want from you! They want you to be like that.”
“The best is to be ourselves: to be natural, to be forgiving, and to move, and to be in the present moment. It makes a big difference.”
When someone you love is hurting
“If someone is going through a rough time, let them have their time, give them their space. In a good relationship you should give them space, you should give them the understanding that you understand them, and don’t demand respect or love them from. Make them feel that you are only to give them some comfort, and you are there for them.”
Check out the videos below for more wisdom on how to recognize real love, remain centered, and nurture all of your relationships, even when the going gets tough.
Paige Leigh Reist is a writer, editor, blogger, and creative writing instructor.
