As I see it, only from an awareness of one’s own mortality can a journey of deep, personal awareness, both psychological and spiritual, begin, and any relationship has to start there, too, whether it’s professional or intimately personal. That awareness has to be the starting place.
Only from this common awareness can one learn not to judge another but to try to discover whether or not he or she is on the same journey. Besides that, awareness of one’s own mortality never leads to arrogance or self-sufficiency, which would both be obstacles to any right and reasonable relationship.