5.
The Purpose of Relationship
We’re getting to the big questions, such as “What is the purpose of relation- ship?” This question alone could potentially take an entire book to unpack. However, we can state the foundational purpose of relationship in a couple of short paragraphs, but first, we have some other things to cover, if you will indulge me.
We see throughout history the causes of broken relationships: pride, vanity, arrogance, racism, narcissism, self-importance, power, lying, cheating, stealing, jealousy, ineffective communication, control, and the list could continue for several pages.
Just take a mental inventory of the broken relationships in your own life, and you will begin to understand what I mean. What was the root cause of the brokenness, whether you were the cause or someone else? Chances are the relationship could have been saved or still could be mended with some humility (or a lot) on both sides.
We have struggled for years in relationships. There are so many differ- ences that divide us, whether culturally, racially, socio-economically, politically, philosophically, and so forth. Why do we even try to connect with others with the potential for all of these issues and conflicts? Why even bother? I have some ideas about this. Understanding why we humans need to connect with others will help us to understand the purpose of relationship.
Four Reasons to Connect with Others
When I first moved into the city we now live in, my whole goal was to connect with others, since we knew no one—absolutely no one—in Northern California. I found myself spending more time trying to convince people that my motives were purely to develop relationships and that I wasn’t trying to sell them anything or get something from them.