FIFTY-FOUR

歸妹

STRUCTURED RELATIONSHIPS

CONCERNS: The demands of personal desires and attendant emotions in conflict with duty, responsibility and consideration toward others; immediate gratification and its postponement; short-term goals in relationship to long-term goals; harmony through cooperation.

1. Even though the elements in this relationship are not naturally in harmony, we can bring about a satisfactory result if we are unflaggingly conscious, respectful and cooperative.
2. This relationship cannot achieve anything of great significance but it can be functional and stable in everyday life.
3. A relationship based on expediency and desire will become discordant.
4. Do not be seduced into an impulsive liaison; maintain your dignity and your perspective.
5. When our relationships are based upon respect and tolerance for the differing capacities of others, we create an environment of cooperation and harmony.
6. Here we are only going through the motions; cultivate sincerity.

COMMENT: Long-term relationships are second jobs and require our constant application and awareness; they must not be presumed upon or exploited. Marriage, for instance, is a daily responsibility, confrontation, and an opportunity for personal development, not a dumping ground for our frustrations, irritabilities, fantasies of being taken care of, or personal whims. Both partners must take care of the marriage; the marriage cannot take care of them.