[A human Being]

Thoughtful and well-articulated responses as always, 7L, and as usual I agree with pretty much everything you said :) Particularly with regards to authenticity (I was toying with the idea of starting a thread on the subject, funnily enough) - that really is the key to it all, I think, and the key to that is to acknowledge what's actually going on inside us. Sounds simple enough in theory, but in practice we tend to be in resistance to strong emotions, certain thought patterns, and what have you, so it does require humility, a sincere commitment to self-honesty, and a willingness to allow ourselves to feel discomfort and emotional pain. It can be a real challenge and can call for a lot of soul-searching, but I don't think we can have truly meaningful and fulfilling relationships without doing the inner work and without being willing to be vulnerable with others.