Symbiotic relationships

Ever feel open, talkative, and vulnerable around one person while in another relationship you feel small and powerless? Or, perhaps made an immediate soul connection having never met the person before? All relationships bring their own set of intrigue and circumstance. The question is, what role do you play in all of this?

Symbiotic relationships in nature show us multiple perspectives.

In Africa, an Ox Pecker bird sits atop a water buffalo. The bird eats parasites and insects off the water buffalo giving it ample nutrition. The water buffalo receives good health due to no parasites and gets an alert system from the bird with nearby predators. This relationship mutually supports each animal.

Now let’s look at the tapeworm and the fox. The tapeworm lives inside the fox’s intestines, slowly feeding off undigested food in the fox. The tapeworm benefits from a constant nourishing source. Yet, over time the fox’s health declines.

You’ve probably been in relationships that are not always mutually beneficial. Ever been in a relationship, where one person gains more than the other person receives? The relationship slowly dies.

What does this mean to you?

Humans crave security and safety more than anything. In the same way, a drop of water magnifies the sun on a leaf, every relationship showcases our greatest strengths and greatest deficits. Where does our own need for emotional security come in?

Too often, we look to another person to validate who we are. This turns you into the fox that gives the tapeworm extra energy to feed from, whether intentionally do this or not. This gives your power to another person, thus shrinking your actual character. It’s easy to want to blame the other person, yet the real exposure is you allowed this to happen in the first place. It’s time to stop this nonsense in its tracks.

Emotional security comes through your own strength of character. This is the building block of the foundation for which any leap of faith can occur. Whether it’s a new relationship, business venture, or even adventure.

As we create and construct deeper connections, communities, and collaborations, exposing our own discord is key. Where are you shrinking and still licking your wounds from the past? How can wisdom from unhealed wounds turn into building blocks for a strong core foundation? Dig deep into the depths of who you are and expose those yucky pieces. Once the light is shined there, your true character will emerge.

We all crave the mutually beneficial relationship between the bird and the buffalo.

How can you rebuild your foundation of character and passion, and bring harmonic exchange into your next relationship interaction?