As more and more of the goods and services we demand are provided by people completely unknown to us, or even by machines, what will our relationships to others actually be? If others are only relevant in terms of some sort of commerce, then as others become less commercially necessary, how or even why will we need them? Put simply, over the coming years, an increasingly important question will become: what are other human being for, if not to provide for us? I believe this is an essential question for all of us, and one to which educational institutions must respond. In this talk we will examine the ways in which we can cultivate and sustain an inquiry into the ways that we will choose to relate to other beings. A special emphasis will be placed on the way higher education and contemplative approaches can contribute to this process.