Every relationship goes through a series of changes and readjustments. However, there are times when even with the best of efforts things just don’t work out for one reason or another. Accepting that and acting upon it is something that takes a lot of introspection and courage.
A relationship is supposed to bring you joy and satisfaction. If you find yourself constantly frustrated or depressed about your relationship, perhaps it is time to think of calling it a day. This perspective is constantly attacked by traditionalists who believe one has to “endure” the rigors of a relationship. Marriage in particular.
Not to say that one should not endure anything. But when exactly is the endurance deemed “enough”? At what point is it acceptable for others to consider that you have endured enough? “Till death do us part” is a popular Biblical quote demanding that married couples should stay together until one or both of them die. How practical is this?
Is it practical that two different people should want to be with each other for the rest of their natural lives? Emotions and feelings change and evolve over time. The way someone feels at the beginning of a marriage or relationship is very different from how they feel after the winds of time have blown past. Sometimes it’s only after a year and maybe after 20 years. It is never the same for everyone.
Having said that ending a relationship is not the end of the world and it is definitely not the end of your life. Life goes on and then some. People are still able to find happiness after the end of a relationship. You still have the opportunity to create a new set of memories and experiences with other people. You still have the opportunity to rediscover and reinvent yourself.
A lot of people have been saddled in depressing and frustrating relationships not for the lack of wanting to end things but for the sense of commitment and duty. The honor of promise and dedication. Faith and tradition. Especially where children and financial commitments are involved. It becomes a lot more complicated to call it quits.
In some cases, people who have stuck it out despite clear unresolved conflict usually end up despising each other in their later years. When they are too old to do anything about it. It is not uncommon for some elderly couples to talk ill of each other to their children and grandchildren. Some will regret not having done something when they had the opportunity to do so.
Relationships and marriage in themselves are naturally good things and they should be celebrated wherever they occur. Participants should strive to make them work as much as they can but sometimes some will not be able to make it work. And in those cases, it should not be defined as the end. No. Not by a long-shot. It’s just the beginning!
The Roddy Chasewater Show.
The Roddy Chasewater Show 