There is a constant need, as humans, to be around people of our kind, relate with them, do stuffs together or just live. Our relationships with each other, require so much investments as it does returns. Returns that could be either emotional, academic or simply companionship. It takes two parties to be in a relationship, and it takes both parties putting in the work to keep a relationship going.
One person has to trust the other enough, to know that they wouldn’t go behind their backs, to do something else. One party has to know the other’s limits - just how much they can take. One party has to know where the other’s boundaries begin, and to respect them. Every relationship, platonic or romantic, need all these to thrive.
Recently, there was an issue that escalated between two people I knew in my environment. They’ve both been friends for a very long time and we knew them both together. Suddenly, they had a fight and there were rumored going around. Apparently, they had a heated fight, where they confronted each other, and one of them went ahead to spill private details of the other’s life.
For a situation like this, even if both parties were to reconcile, one party would keep parts of her life away from the other, for fear of a reoccurrence. They’d both tread carefully around each other. It’ll take a lot for that friendship to actually recover from the betrayal because trust is lost already. As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy. No one would love to experience such twice, so even if she forgives, as long as that friend is around her, there’d be reservations.
Rebuilding trust, is the hardest parts of a relationship. It takes triple the hard work you put into getting that person in your space, to win their trust back and I don’t think that’s something than can ever been won back completely. When one party’s betrayal hurts the other, it takes a lot to let go of the hurt and forgive. But you know what’s harder than forgiving that person? Vouching for that person sometime after. Whoever is on the receiving end wouldn’t beat his or her chest, to say the other person couldn’t have done said thing, if they find themselves in a similar situation. Even if that trust is rebuilt, if it happens again, the only that’ll be left to feel is disappointment and resignation.
Relationships do not only entail the fancy dates, the hilarious moments and all that. It is also about complementing parts of one another. It is knowing that meandering life would definitely be worse if these people weren’t in your corner. It is remembering all the moments you shared with someone and you still smile fondly at the mistakes you guys made during bad times. Friendships are beautiful when the people involved want to actually be friends with each other. Same for romantic relationships.
This is my entry to #sci-fi multiverse prompt for the week.
Thanks for reading.
Image above is mine.