Our culture, too, supports us in the notion that if things get too complex, we should move on to someone or something else. It is only through going down more deeply into our relationships that we receive the life waters that truly nourish. The commitment to drill down more deeply can take us to the real fulfillment that we long for.

"Empathy suffers from jet-lag -- it often wakes up only after it's no longer possible to do anything to help," said my father, a man who lost many relatives to the holocaust.

We're complex beings, and there is always more to learn. Caring is more important than "knowing." Are we interested, receptive, curious? The element of surprise can fuel a sense of newness and add excitement when we're open to it.