Separation

Separation is what defines modern man.

A view of himself as separate and distinct from others.

Making all relationships even the most intimate as separate or distinct from who we are

ourselves.

Relationships are groupings of discrete individuals.

This is separation of a high order.

Because relationships define who we are.

With life.

With others.

And by defining them all as separate from who we are we diminish ourselves.

Simply we reduce everything to you and me, nothing is us on deeper levels.

Under the delusion of the discrete and separate self, we see our relationships as extrinsic to who we are on the deepest level.
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We see relationships as associations of discrete individuals.

But in fact, our relationships—with other people and all life—define who we are
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And by impoverishing these relationships we diminish ourselves. 
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We are our relationships.
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Charles Eisenstein