What we’re about
The purpose of this group will be to foster future relationships the likes of which most people can scarcely dream about—for one does not know the taste of food after a lifetime on a steady diet of ash.
We will move towards that goal by following the road-map laid out in the book this group is named after. That will include deep and detailed discussions of the book’s contents and, what’s more, an exchange of personal histories, ideas, and opinions on how to best bring that book to life.
If you wish to catch a glimpse of what I have in mind, have a look below.
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How often do you lie in your day to day life? At home, at work, in a social gathering. Talking to family and friends and colleagues. How often do you falsify the raw truth of your existence and smother that fire for fear of what it may illuminate around you, near you, inside you? If your routine is anything like mine was till a few years back, the answer is “nearly always.”
And why do we lie that often? Because we are entangled in a web of dysfunctional relationships, to which we bring our fair share of dysfunction. That is the best answer I have found thus far. Dysfunctional relationships are often based on genetic and geographic proximity rather than the qualities that make a life truly worth living—and a relationship worth having: Honesty, openness, courage, and integrity.
If that is the case, how do we move from a daily reenactment of our pathologies to a different mode of being, one that sparks a deep sense of meaning and fulfillment in us and the people around us? How do we jump out bed in the morning because we can’t wait to see what the new day will bring, rather than hit that snooze button one more time because we can’t bear the though of yet another 24 hour cycle?
I have found the best road-map to answer these questions here: https://www.freedomain.com/2019/07/18/real-time-relationships-the-logic-of-love/.
But I am painfully aware of the chasm between theory and practice. Hence the creation of this group. Its purpose will be to discuss that literary work and how best put it into practice, by bringing to the table as much of our personal histories as possible: Past pitfalls, present struggles, and future commitments to greater relationships.
In that spirit, I will declare my deepest purpose: Build a functional family of my own, one that looks nothing like the one I came from. My past is littered with lies of omission, as I have denied my true self to everybody around me. My present is centered around the struggle to forge new connections, based on our greatest virtues, and find the mother of my children. In my early 20’s, whenever thinking about intimate relationships, I had in mind the image of some beautiful woman lying in bed with me; now, I see my little daughter moving her first steps towards me.
If any of what you read thus far resonates with you, this is your group.
