Redefining My Relationship With You

This is quite funny.

I hit my usage limit on my Claude Max 5x subscription on Wednesday and I was stuck in limbo with no AI to support me for work on Thursday and Friday.

But that gave me a chance to sit down and reflect — why have I not been writing articles, posting to social media, or even replying to emails?

It turns out that I no longer knew how to define my relationship with you.

• I’ve outgrown a teacher-student relationship, and a senior-junior one.
• I don’t want to treat people like money bags, leads, and potential customers.
• I don’t need an audience or anyone to follow me anymore.

I want to treat people like people.

Not tools or stepping stones that help me progress towards my goals.

It’s very difficult to define this new relationship

There is no English word that encompasses what I want to create.

• Not comrades.
• Not peers.
• Not family.
• You’re not my audience.
• Nor my followers.
• I’m not trying to lead you.
• And I have no wish to be responsible for leading you to the “right” places.

Here’s what I eventually settled on:

• We may be peers, and we may be equal. But we’re not equal at the same time.
• We can lead each other, and cross-lead each other.
• And we lend each other a hand. Willingly, not expected to. (No need to support anyone else). To fulfil our dreams and ambitions, as long as it’s for the better good of the world.

After a few rounds of chatting with AI and checking the dictionary, I came to settle on two words for now:

Fellow Wayfarer

We’re simply fellow travellers on the road we call life. This is the only thing we truly have in common.

You’re free to be who you are, and I’m free to be who I am. There are no expectations from me to you, and I’ll not be weighed down by your expectations on me.

• We don’t even have to agree with each other on anything at all.
• We don’t have to be someone for anyone else.
• We can hang out (or not) with anyone as we please.

In this journey, it’s common for pathways to diverge, for people to leave, and for people to join.

So long, folks.

And hello, folks.

May we see each other in a new light.