The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives
Esther Perel
About Esther Perel
The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives
In the interview, Perel touches on ways to improve relationship quality, by:
Investing in ‘presence’ – devote your energies to the relationship(s) that matter most – “are you bringing the best of you to work, and the leftovers home?”
Working with paradox – the paradox of the modern day relationship: we want one person to give us so much (security, adventure, stability change, dependability, surprise… “we want this same person to still be our best friend, and our trusted confidante and our passionate lover”) and, at the same time, never has it been easier for us to disengage, leave the other, transgress on the other…
Balancing separateness versus togetherness, freedom versus commitment, show “maturity”
Understanding that relationships evolve – “I’ve had three marriages (different relationships) with the same person, my husband” – power dynamics shift
Understanding the stories we tell, about ourselves, and about others – we are creatures of meaning and live through stories, and if your story isn’t working, give it up (reminds me of Byron Katie’s ‘work’ and “who would you be without your story?”)
Letting go – “if you live all the time on guard, you can’t let go”
Valuing your relationship work as much as your achievements/results (that resonates with the 50:50 leader; the leader who spends as much time on the quality of interactions and relationships as on results and profits)
More from Perel
In days past, relationships used to be organized around obligations and duty. Today, at least in the West, relationships are organized more around negotiations and conversation – decision-making is up to us. In an individualistic society, you feel responsible to solve the problem yourself. In collectivist societies, there is more reliance on the village.
Polarization is largely the inability to tolerate others; to deal with uncertainty, no matter the issue; climate, gender, race…
Camp vs. community – Camps breed hierarchy, homogeneity, certainty, insulation, internal fighting. Community is inclusivity, welcoming the stranger into your midst, otherness.
Acknowledging others makes you feel human – how you make yourself feel flows from how you treat the other.
“The lives of women will not (appreciably) change until men have the opportunity to rethink their identity, in the way that many women have been able to do for the last 50 years”
The big takeaway
“Relationships – it’s at the core of our existence. And so often, we don’t really talk about them, in-depth. We brush over them. We trample them. We neglect them.
We put achievement and products ahead of people. Many, many people are in need of having difficult conversations at this moment – somebody they owe an apology to forever. Really, the fabric of our society is relationships.”
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