The Gestalt Prayer by Fritz Perls

I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful.
If not, it can’t be helped.

(Fritz Perls, 1969)

This is the “Gestalt Prayer” stated by Fritz Perls and it is often argued as statement of independence in  a persons social life.

We humans are  all actively, changing organized phenomenons… or “gestalts“.
We, individually are in a fluid state of both independence and interdependence with our  physical surroundings and people in our lives.
Thus the Gestalt prayer is  philosophical statement of self- autonomy in ones personal relationships.

I have my own needs  and goals to  live up to… and not the expectations imposed on me by others, or the expectations I think others have of me.
Just the same, other people  do not live their lives to meet my expectations.

I have never like the “Gestalt Prayer” as philosophy. We are in fact expected to meet commitments we make. We make commitments to take care of children or family members. Our Governments have expectations of us that we must meet.  So this “prayer” is  a bit misleading or a bit to rigid.

However,  our own self expectations and living to our own needs are most important.

So its good to say the Gestalt prayer out loud , every so often….Just to remind of us of our self autonomy.