ornoth

How many times have you truly been in love?: I think I’d have to say four.
What was/is so great about the person you love(d) the most?: I couldn’t say that I loved any one of them “most”. However, one of the most consistent themes in the people I’ve loved has been their ability to serve as an exemplar for me and/or teach me about the emotional half of myself, something that I’ve very rarely acknowledged even exists.
What qualities should a significant other have?: See above and below.
Have you ever broken someone’s heart?: Thoroughly.
If there was one thing you could teach people about love, what would it be?: Relationships are either altruistic or neurotic.
… an altruistic relationship isn’t about controlling the other person and their affections. Instead, it’s about nurturing and supporting your partner and giving them the freedom to seek their own happiness, sometimes even at the cost of your own. It’s about accepting that other people don’t see the world in the same way you do. It’s about understanding why someone thinks their actions are right, rather than making them wrong by focusing on how their actions don’t conform to your own values system. And it’s about asking yourself not how much you can get out of a relationship, but “How can I be generous in this relationship?”
See my journal post entitled “The Wisdom of Altuism”, from which this is excerpted.

Entries tagged with altruism