21 December – 20 February
Why right human relations?
We all form one single “human family”. In spite of individualism and self-assertion (a necessary stage of our development) we have come to a point where we can begin to fine-tune the delicate balance between individuality and socialization.
The Law of Right Human Relations is concerned with this intelligent participation in social life. This does not mean conformity or “herd instinct”. As self-aware individuals, we must try to fit our “little personalities” into the mosaic of the life of a United Humanity.”
Roberto Assagioli once wrote: “We have more than five billion neighbours; not neighbours who live in our street, but neighbours who are our equals, human beings with whom we are connected by modern means of communication, and who in reality are psychologically similar to us. This means that Right Human Relations must have a great significance in the approaching of the”New Age.”
Right human relationships are the foundation of our existence; they are not just a conceptual ideal for a harmonious life or a need for survival, they are a fact of nature. We are inextricably bound to our neighbours in every aspect of life.
We are in constant mutual contact, both socially and in the physical world, and also through the constant exchange of our thoughts and feelings and those of others.
Humanity as a whole
We are all part of a greater whole; just as each of our individual and different cells make up our entire body, we are all part of a much larger human group. We are members of our family, inhabitants of our city, we belong to our nation, and we all share in common being part of Humanity as a whole. With this awareness we can share a wider perspective of the Law of Right Human Relations and examine its place and function. It is not just a Law related to our personal relationships with others, but a fundamental rule of life, and it relates to all aspects of life, which includes our actions, feelings, thoughts and our will.
In order to develop right relations, we have to apply qualities such as responsibility, understanding, compassion, love, and harmlessness, which each form links in the chain of Right Human Relations.
Above all, the quality of right relationship is one which is created in our hearts, in order to break down boundaries between human beings.
Experimenting with right human relations
Across the centuries there have been examples of individuals who personify Right Human Relations in their life. Many philosophical thinkers have taught this to some extent; all of those who have sacrificed themselves for mankind’s freedom, or for rights and free relations between men, have helped to counteract opposing forces and to re-align conflicting relationships that often existed in the earlier stages of our civilization and culture.
On a daily basis we experiment with the art of right relations, albeit often unconsciously. Every day, through all our necessary acts of cooperation and our various contacts with our neighbours, we experiment in a very practical way and gain experience from the myriad of different types of relationships we experience. Furthermore, we are constantly developing all this within ourselves through our thoughts and feelings.
It is noteworthy that this significant increase in relationships and links across the world has transpired in the course of a very short period of time when compared to the long period of gradual change in the past: the distance that separates one person from another has been reduced. News about world events comes to our homes via radio and television; we have adopted habits that make us economically dependent on other nations.
Consciously or not, we have been obliged to change our behaviour, to think in new ways, and to expand our consciousness. It is time to fully embrace this opportunity and learn the art of right relations.
This article contains excerpts and a synthesis from the book “Laws and Principles of the New Age”, published by Editrice Nuova Era