“People have no more time to understand anything. They buy ready-made things in the shops. But since there are no shops where you can buy friends, people no longer have any friends” - The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Human beings are social creatures and naturally build social networks. These support us emotionally, sustain us through joyous times, as well as times of hardship. But the Fox from the Little Prince is right – we don't have shops were we can buy friends, not to mention romantic partners. This problem is a product of our urban environment. Most of us do not have ready-made social structures that provide an environment in which we can initiate and nurture new relationships. We spend most of our time at work in which we relate in very specific ways, usually within the same group of people. Although some might find a partner in this environment, not all of us are as fortunate. Even shared activities outside of the working environment, such as gym or socialising in bars, might not make it any easier for us to make new connections with others. After all, when last did you walk up to somebody at the gym and invite them to a social event? How often do you have meaningful conversations in a pub environment? Seldom do we make the contact for fear of being rejected or thought of in an unfavourable light.

But, to relate to others is one of the most fundamental needs that humans possess. Through knowing others, we can know ourselves, for it is only in relation to the “other” that we can identify the “self”. Others hold a mirror up to us, so that we can see ourselves. Zukav, author of Soul Stories and Seat of the Soul , believes that we cannot develop spiritually if we do not have the courage to enter into relationships of substance and depth. Even if we meditate, pray or set our intentions on our own, sooner or later we have to apply what we meditated on, prayed for or set intentions about. To do this we need other people. People need people to love, be creative with, to work with, to play with, to share with, to find meaning in life and be silly with too!

One of the basic human needs is the need to have meaningful interactions with other human beings. We long for deep connections with others because it makes us grow and discover ourselves. There is something magical in experiencing “the other”, because on a spiritual level it reminds us of the experience of being whole.

It is within the context of relationships that we grow intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. In ancient times spiritual seekers would have isolated themselves away from society in caves and convents to seek the ultimate truths of human existence. Modern times don't allow much time or opportunity for such practices. We don't all have access to spiritual teachers and gurus. But there is hope! Most of us have relationships of some kind with other people. It is in this interaction that we are faced with who we are and how we can grow and become the people we truly want to be.

Obviously other people can't make us happy, but we make ourselves happy in the context of other people. Life is made up of relationships whether they be in romantic, family or business contexts. Our relationships with others also reflect our inner emotional state and our relationship with ourselves. Because our outside world mirrors our inside world in this way, other people in our lives are a major resource for growth and thus we facilitate spiritual development in each other!