At the opposite end of every named relationship we seek, there is a pre-defined portrait, a portrait of how that person should ideally be, in our very own internal image of an ideal world, suited to our own psyche. We seek not another human being, but a person of flesh and blood who we can best fit into that portrait. And thus, we limit not only the person, but also the relation. The only times when we can get to know another person truly is when we are not trying to fit that person into any such pre-defined character sketches. In such a setting, free from the constraints of any named relationship, we can truly see the other person, and be filled with wonderous delight at the amazing new world we discover through the other person.
In this context, promoting something from my paper journal, drafted on 09-Aug-2021:
"She walks on the beach, a silhouette against the vast expanse of the ocean. Her feet are naked, her face is towards the ocean, her dress blowing slightly against the sea winds. Her poise, as she walks slowly, conveys something beyond words. As if, with each step, she leaves behind one of the many roles she had donned in her life, the camouflages, the masks. As she walks, layer after layer is peeled away, and finally she stands naked, her true self, as she was born, and as she would be in death. She is free."
