Relationally truth

From those of us who grew up in a theist faith context (or maybe just Christian… or just me?), we are taught to orient ourselves to something beyond the self from an early age. Many of my peers seem to find meaning through connecting with peers or “being relational.” This desire to “be relational” has not occurred in a vacuum - although if it did, then how ironic would that be, I digress. Contemporary philosophical moves towards relational understandings of personhood/ the self were influenced through the field of psychology – particularly Freud and those who came after him. Freud was born into a Jewish family, and although he distanced himself from his religion-of-origin, his worldview was shaped from an early age by the language of community. It was in his view that the ego and superego emerged from interactions with others. Although he had wanted the ego to distance itself from others, there was still a fundamental recognition that a person is relationally mediated. Followers like Winnicott and Kohut expanded upon this to the extent that current trends in psychoanalysis indicate that all meaning is relationally constructed. Interestingly enough both these figures were members of religious communities throughout their lives.

Would this relational understanding of truth occur without the subtext of a worldview that assumed that meaning occurs outside the individual instead of within? I am struck by how many of my friends who grew up in similar contexts that, despite being culturally-aware and relatively open to new ideas, seem to assume that there are universal principles - often moral principles - that everyone knows “deep down in their hearts.” I wonder if we cannot move beyond our experiences to see another perspective and consider it as a valid alternative. I personally can consider other perspectives, but typically, a “relational” answer to a question ultimately “wins out.” Yet, what if I came from a different tradition, would this be the case? If my culture said, look within to find the answer or do not look for an answer and it will come, would my “answers” come to the same conclusion. Perhaps if I were in Descartes position, I would find it equally logical to look within and assume truth. To this end, I am curious how to continue to grow, elaborate, or innovate when moving beyond the initial assumptions of thought are so woven into my worldview that I find only one answer. Thus, I have a rambling that I am putting out to the world so that I may find some feedback in the only way I can understand something – relationally.