Abstraction+Relational

Abstraction in relationships can help us see the patterns of our interactions: the way we keep trying to have the same conversation over and over. Abstraction can be a pathway to seeing the interconnection of all things in relationship: we all change, we are all perfectly imperfect, and we all want to belong.

And, relationship lives in the specifics of how people fit together. Abstraction in relationship can feel dehumanizing (it isn’t even me, I am just a foil for your issues). 

How do you engage with abstraction in your relationships? Do you feel comfortable with a different level of abstraction than someone else does? Do you have tricks for navigating that difference? Landing on similarities?