The Smallest Interaction

It occurs to me that the simple humdrum act of buying and selling is the smallest interaction involved in any relationship. That is, many acts of buying and selling do not necessarily result in any deeper relationship, but these transactions must exist in order to have a chance at a deeper relationship. Unfortunately, few will understand because most immediately think about money when they think about buying and selling, and then they shut down.

Think about parent/child relationships. It starts with parents having total authority and the child having very little freedom. Almost immediately, negotiations begin! The child and parent are engaged in near constant interaction centered around authority/freedom. Which is even more potent than money/goods. Obviously there is much more going on than this, but I think it's easy to see something akin to the law of supply and demand in this particular example.

Something as simple as time, for instance can act as a currency in the world of relationships. Indeed, one must spend time simply to create and maintain relationships. Perhaps, one would consider trade the atom of relationships. The smallest irreducible element upon which the molecules, cells, and all else rests. Too bad words like "Voluntary trade for mutual benefit" just don't have a romantic quality to them.