- Joined
- Nov 14, 2012
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- 3,637
And as a result, by extension, a relationship will not be truly "healthy" (and "happy") until you've hit this balance. Until it's quite literally an "equal" relationship.
It's not something everyone knows innately. A lot of people don't discover the true depths of their self-determined inner worth until later in life, and some people never discover it at all. But those that do will never be completely satisfied living with an 'unequal' relationship. It goes against a hundred thousand years of human evolution, which is seldom a conflict that ends particularly well.
Well, the thing is, I don't really believe that these couples who live to be 80 years old and die together are actually still achieving their "maximum" level of happiness at later points in time. It may very well be that the couple could have split 50 years ago to pursue other dreams (or other partners) because that is what they truly desire, but the amount of change and turmoil that it would actually cause prevents them from going through with it.
In a sense, you could say that I'm saying these couples "endure" their later years rather than "enjoy" them. There might be moments of enjoyment, but I know (especially women) crave adventure and excitement. But this is all mostly due to social restrictions and the way society sanctifies marriage (as something EVERYONE should desire to achieve), and women who are seen chasing other hedonistic outlets for joy, pleasure, and reproduction are publicly shamed for it.
EDIT: This is also long after reproduction has occurred and the children have moved on, so being together isn't necessarily biologically beneficial at this point.
So by saying this, I'm basically refuting this point:
This is a completely fair point, and I agree. The only thing I would change is the fact that, while you should never expect a specific relationship to be never ending, long term, whatever you want to call it, you should still be rating the most 'healthy' one as the one that eventually achieves this.
... because longevity does not necessarily equate to 'healthy' when it comes to relationships.
Anyway, so I don't re-invent the wheel here and give myself extra words to type out, I would take a small break to read the following articles when you get some time because they completely mirror my sentiments (and then it will give you an idea of where I stand as well as give you a better foundation for what you would like to discuss if you want to continue this conversation further):
- Respect in a Relationship: Where it Comes From and Where it Goes
Do Women REALLY Like Being Treated Like 'Equals'?
Conflict Between Men and Women in the 21st Century
Women Love Sexist Men
They are semi-long reads, but you seem like an intelligent guy, so I think you'll enjoy them if not only for the reason to argue for or against them. Also note that all of these articles have been written within the last year or two. =)
- Franco

