Dear Kat,
I have been mystified how we reach agreement on things. For instance, I wrote here “We come to agreement on what we do together without apparent effort or decision-making” and here “This happens so regularly that it is a statistical impossibility that we should always want the same things.”
The other night you answered this so eloquently; let me see if I can summarise it.
It’s a result of being open and present. You have an idea of what to do. I suggest something else that is not in your mind. Because you are open and undefended you are not stuck on your idea being the best. More than that, you welcome the variety and difference that another person brings to the table. Maybe it’s not to your liking, but that’s OK, too, because I am not bound to my suggestion. And so it goes, and we rapidly reach a conclusion that works for both of us. This whole process takes place so easily and fluidly that I think we must sometimes not see it happening, only experience the results.
It’s aided by several things. That we like many of the same things broadens the area for agreement, but more than that is being open to newness and change, and not being attached to specific outcomes. Lastly, we have no desire to triumph over the other, and want what is best for both of us. This all takes a certain level of self-knowledge and non-attachment. Do we make this a prerequisite? Try to teach it? Assume it is present?
Digg this
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