There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for-granted relationship. Nothing reaches so deeply into the human personality or tugs so tightly as relationship. Why? For one reason, it is only in the context of connection with others that our deepest needs can be met. Whether we like it or not, each of us has an unshakable dependence on others. It’s what philosopher John Donne was getting at when he said so succinctly, “No man is an island.”