Love Is Overrated, All Relationships Need Something Else
The whole world needs something else.
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I love you more than chocolate, but please, don’t make me prove it. Also…
I don’t like it when you do this. Or I need you to do that. Do you think you could be more like this? Oh, and I really wish you’d stop asking me that.
Isn’t love selfish, through this lens?
Yes, but only because it isn’t true love — it lacks the one thing that makes love… true love.
Do you love someone for who they are or for how they make you feel? What do you do when the person you love doesn’t make you feel the way you want?
Usually, this is where partners try to change each other. Things could go so much better if only they’d have respect.
Respect makes a world of difference in every relationship. Not just in romantic relationships, but also in relationships with our children, parents, relatives, friends, or co-workers.
Not that kind of respect
Dictionaries first define respect as “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.”
That’s not the kind of respect relationships need.
Regardless of how much we love or appreciate people in our lives, we can’t have deep admiration for everyone.
The second definition of respect in the dictionary is what would save us all from misery — “due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others.”
Due regard means giving sufficient attention to all the details involved and fair consideration, whenever we want to act or speak up.
When you show this kind of respect towards others, you’re more likely to have more positive interactions and less tense relationships.
You avoid collisions with people, in general, and give your love the vital ingredient that makes it true.
You can respect and not love, but you can’t love and not respect.
“Respect is how to treat everyone.” — Richard Branson
