Home→Forums→Relationships→Thoughts on relationships/marriages that fall apart
- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 4 months ago by maggie mac.
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August 9, 2015 at 8:27 pm #81515AnnieParticipant
Hello Tinybuddha users,
I’ve been doing a lot of reading on tinybuddha and other forums as well. It seems as if there are a lot of loveless/sexless marriages. The rate of divorce is also very high in general. My own parents don’t sleep in the same room/bed or show any form of affection and it has warped my understanding of relationships. What does a good relationship/marriage require? More importantly, why do marriages fall apart?
August 9, 2015 at 10:19 pm #81524TriangleSunParticipantFrom personal experience and observation, most people don’t work on relationships anymore. We’ve essentially built our society on the idea of disposable relationships where fixing something is too much work and finding somebody else is easier. It’s really sad, but the notion these days is there is something better out there and many people end up getting divorced instead of making it work and wind up chasing their own tail in search of “the one” when in reality they either divorced them or left them behind years ago. You’d be surprised how many people compare their lives to Hollywood’s Shakespeare-esque dramatization of amazingly romantic and unrealistic relationships. Everyone drools over this and eventually start questioning their own relationships because they don’t match the TV screen. 5 years into a relationship and they ask “I love this person but not in love. Should i leave them?” Well, welcome to life. If you thought you were going to be in love for 50 years, then perhaps should also learn that the sky is blue. The grass always seems greener on the other side. I think this is the biggest reason marriages fail and relationships are abandoned.
I remember reading somewhere that those who were in one serious relationship and ended up marrying that person are really the ones in long-lasting marriages. Somehow we make a better bond in our first real relationship, especially if it’s sexual. The study claimed that every time we jumped from one relationship to another the chances of that new relationship working out are significantly lower than the previous. Frankly, I can attest to that. I know a lot of couples who couldn’t even get through a couple of years of marriage. And I have a few good friends in mid-30s who are happily married to their high school or college sweethearts.
One of those friends had once told me “Any two people can make a marriage work. It all depends on how much they both want it.” This is the best thing I’ve ever heard about marriage and I couldn’t believe it was coming from a friend who’s in my age group and not my parents’. However, the reality is when you’re jumping from one failed relationship to another you’re carrying over a lot of baggage (in shape of guilt, shame, hurt and etc) possibly without even being aware of it accumulating in your subconsciousness. At some point, when your heart is bleeding over yet another person you’ve lost, all of those other failed relationships start surfacing. This baggage doesn’t go away. Over time it just subsides and doesn’t hurt as much, but it’s still there and it dawns on you from time to time. The worst thing is that there is nothing normal about that, yet our society tells us that it is. So by the time we’re ready for settle down we’ve seen and hurt enough for 60 years ahead.
Our parents are probably a little better at marriage than our generation, but where i see the ultimate love and support is in our grandparents’ generation. My grandma, who was 100% blind and had trouble walking, was taking care of my bed-ridden grandfather as he was dying with terminal cancer. Under circumstances at the time, she cared for him completely alone for 2 months. This is boundless and deep love and I find it hard to believe that i’ll ever experience it, but i hope someday i will and so will you 🙂
- This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by TriangleSun.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by TriangleSun.
August 10, 2015 at 1:52 am #81529AnnieParticipantHello TriangleSun,
You have given me an insight to so many wonderful things here. I agree that most people don’t work on relationships anymore. I think most relationships are salvageable and it’s a choice whether or not you want to try. Sometimes we just can’t love the other person anymore, or you drift apart, but that is different from neglecting the relationship. In marriages, I’ve read that most couples have trouble after their children are born (probably because of responsibilities and lack of nurturing of relationship) or when they’ve been married for a long time. I too am surprised to learn about how many people are looking for “the one.” It’s probably because we learn from an early age that our “prince charming” exists. Lots of children’s movies and books have this idea especially in Disney where we’re told we’re princesses and we will find a prince who will take away all our problems – NOT. Ah, the good old love this person, but not in love with them. For me, it just means that the initial chemistry is gone from the relationship whether that’s sexual or the relationship has just become routine. The grass is greener on the other side. LOL. Why do you think people think this? Are they unaware or the “other side” or is their side just not cutting it anymore?
Oh wow, that is a very interesting concept. I have to agree with you, however I think that sometimes we need to feel out other relationships to see what we like and what is good for us. Hmm, maybe that just makes your point even more valid? We may think that leaving the relationship to find something that we like better would be sought after e.g. “the one”. I don’t like to date, but it’s so difficult to really get to know someone without it. So far, i’ve jumped into relationships head first and they have all failed, but I am still young (early 20s).
One of those friends had once told me “Any two people can make a marriage work. It all depends on how much they both want it.” – THIS! I think people just stop wanting the relationship if it doesn’t give them chemical stimulation or whatever it is that they want/ think they want. Yes for the emotional baggage. I have learned, but I think i’m finally dealing with this relationship loss and past relationships. Of course, I have lots of fear built up, but that’s the next thing I will work on. I think our parents/ grandparents were good at it because they married young and didn’t have the option of divorce such as the financial means, societal support, etc. Today, most of your friends would actually encourage divorce contrary to what some people think. I think culture plays a large role in that. Women also have more access to education and money, which makes it easier for us to fight for our needs. Love the ideas, keep them coming and thanks for responding with so much detail. My goal is to learn the basics of a good relationship as I never had a solid foundation, but we live and we learn.
August 15, 2015 at 3:11 am #81856maggie macParticipantLove is a rose…. better not pick it. It only grows if it’s on the vine. Handful of thorns and you know you’ve missed it, you lose your love when you say the word “MINE”.
This line from the song just about sums it up. In relationships we usually get what we give out.
Unless one or both are flawed deeply and cannot love and then it is very hard to make anything workout.Start by loving yourself and then give this love to your beloved. Act in their best interest.
Love has to be based on something higher than ourselves. My higher power is God and He will direct my relationships in the best way if I let Him.
“Letting Him”, means to give up control. No manipulation. Some of us don’t even know we are controlling and manipulative we have been that way for so long and from our core.When a relationship starts we are in love and see through the glasses of love. Everything is perfectly lovely.
When the love drugs wear off and we are left with a human being who isn’t really perfect after all that is when we must hold our tongue and trust God to show us ways to allow great communication to iron things out.I have had questions in my relationship and waited and the answer would come without me having to demand or even ask.
It is important for me to keep the purity of love that started in the beginning. The loving feelings, the respect, the awe we feel for our loved one.
I don’t want to have a knock down drag out or say ugly things I can never take back because my first marriage was like that and I never was actually able to forget the things he said to me and I never felt loved or cherished because of that.
So, treat them like the diamond they are. And if they aren’t a diamond then maybe your love and respect will turn them into one. If not then it is best to find the ONE who you so desire that all others are second choice.
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