we are so much more than we say we are

What if we've let the sociopaths win -- by convincing us that everyone is like them?

That everyone is out to get what they need and want, at the expense of others

That relationships are about what do I get from you, what do you get from me, and is this mutually beneficial and worth putting up with each other

What a load of crap.

What if we seek relationships because we have love to give?
We each have love to give. It is beautiful to find the opportunity to give it to someone.

I've been in relationships where giving love to my partner, day after day, was exhausting. That is not healthy.
All my relationships now, I find joy and energy from giving love. Like the way it feels to hold a baby, or pet an eager dog.
Sometimes a friend has sadness, and then I put energy into comforting her. The arc of the relationship is joy from giving love, on both sides.

What if loving and accepting other people is our need? Can we stop pretending we're innately selfish, stop fleeing pain, and feel the love we need to give each other?

Personhood

"My present self is so different from the child I once was --
    are these even the same person?"

I say, your Personhood is in the change.
As a person you exist in time (and space).
    Present self, child self, these are Projections.    Slices.
In the wiggle through time is our real existence.

My outside is my interactions (and body).
    I reflect words, and touch (and light).
And I radiate!
    I emit words
        and art
        and programs into the world.

Absorb and reflect these
as we wiggle onward together
    in at least four dimensions.