There is a healthy balance between setting boundaries and being open to others that could take many lifetimes to master.
The ego needs protection just as much as it needs to be let go of, too much of either too quickly can result in emotional catastrophe.
Unless, after lifetimes of spiritual practice (perhaps), a Saint like Ramana Maharshi can find the Peace and Clarity to see the truth of it and be open to sharing it with all for what is most likely the final incarnation as a Human.
For the rest of us "mere mortals", I think it is a very important lesson to trust your intuition to know when it is good to open up to others and be vulnerable and when it is good to establish healthy boundaries, so as to not jeopardize either person's Peace and personal journey...
The thoughts of those around us r so strong that they radiate outwards and effect everything around them. There r few people who r immune to this. It takes a high degree of development. Sometimes it is much better to confess to your ability to cope and your tendency to b influenced. i do not believe it is spiritually advantages to eliminate people from our lives but we certainly can curtail contact with them.
Today a friend of mine has a son with several children and a wife that screamed at him, shut the hood of the van they had and told him to get his things and get out. First it affected all the people in the drive way, then the people in the neighborhood, my friends, me and someone else i told about it. U see her venom effectively worked its way thru a mass of people. These people r best to stay as far as one can.... away from! We can tell how people affect us by being away from them a while and see if other doors open and if we have changed being away from their presence. There r others that we realize how much it is helpful to have them around.
