If you imagine yourself as the center of your own universe,
then you are the very hub. The next circle around you is your
lover, your partner; this is your closest, most intimate relation-
ship. The next circle to that is your family and friends. These
are the people you love the most, choose to spend the most
time with, love you the most. These are the people you can
relax with, kick off your shoes and be yourself. But there are
still Rules. There is still a right way to treat them and a not-so-
right way. You still have to behave with honor, dignity, respect.
Yo u h a v e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t o w a r d b o t h y o u r c h i l d r e n a n d y o u r
parents. You have a duty to your siblings. You have obliga-
tions, that have to be taken seriously, to your friends.
Yo u h a v e a w h o l e r a f t o f h a t s t o w e a r — p a r e n t , f r i e n d , c h i l d ,
brother/sister, uncle/aunt, godparent, niece/nephew, cousin—
and a whole set of rules and duties to perform. The next
section is guidance on how best to wear all these hats.
As we go through this life, we have to interact with other
people. We rub up against them (emotionally) all the time,
and we have to have rules to govern our behavior so we do
right by them, to steer us through tricky situations, new expe-
riences, and ongoing close relationships.
If we want our relationships with our family and friends to be
successful and for them to think the very best of us, then we
do need to give those relationships some thought—a con-
scious approach rather than sailing on asleep at the wheel like
most people. By consciously being aware of what we are
doing, we can improve those relationships, iron out the prob-
lems, encourage others, and generally spread a bit of warmth
and happiness as we go. What could be finer?