As I was watching a movie the other night, a friend of mine noted during a dramatic scene of infedelity that every man’s downfall is a woman. The character was getting involved in a relationship with his brother’s wife. Ever since I heard my buddy say that last week I’ve been thinking about it over and over. I’ve thought back at the relationships I’ve had and that of my friends’ and families’. It saddens that many people throw the word “love” around so much that it has lost its meaning. This is also true of the word “nice”. It has almost become a pointless word (of which I am guilty of saying all the time. Niiiice.)
I think of how people choose to jump on this rollercoaster of pleasure and pain they call love and how many feel its bitter sting at the end. Is it because the idea of self-sacrifice isn’t clear to them at the beginning? Is it a lack of understanding that the emotions run high and low in all relationships? Either way, more than often people leave relationships with a bitter taste in their mouths and their hearts. I know this is true for me. In fact, I can really only speak for myself.
I see so many young people jump and fall into relationships that were bound to fail. Oh that I would have the strength to prevent them from it and stop the torture beforehand! But I’ve learned that when young hearts are set on someone, even the wisest of advice often falls on deaf ears. And yet, experience seems to be a harsh teacher.
This is not an advocation for or against relationships. I’m only ranting because I hear that love is in the air these days and some of us are blinded by the allure of television’s depiction of it. Holding hands, smiling, kissing, sex, and riding off into the sunset. The idea of it seems so promising but there is so much more to Love. There has to be. It has been experienced and written about for centuries. Men and women have endured much for the sake of Love.
Ahhh! I’m going crazy thinking about all of this. I’m going to take a break and finish this post sometime later. It’s too early to be thinking about this stuff. Believe me, I wish I had a better conclusion to this too. I’m still learning and thinking.
“But I’ve learned that when young hearts are set on someone, even the wisest of advice often falls on deaf ears.”
Very true. I can’t count the times I’ve tried to warn many of my girl friends about falling for some guy only to have them say, “Yeah…you’re right, but I love him.” And then some time later they’re back w/ a broken heart. shrugs Who am I kidding? I’m guilty of the same thing. You’re right, movies do play a big role in this as well. All those pretty images of couples canoodling all over the place. It appeals to the emotions of a woman (I don’t know about men, since I’m not one). Reasons why I will NEVER watch “The Notebook.” I refuse to put myself through that kind of emotional stress. Much better to turn my brain off and watch Transporter 2.
And not to say I’m against dating or anything, but it’s not my favorite activity as of late. I mean, it’s nice but the other party either takes it too seriously or not seriously enough. I’m in a state right now where I want to have fun and not be tied down to any one individual. But who knows, that could change if I were to meet the “right guy.”
I don’t know…whatever and whoever God has for me, I’m fine w/ that. I’m not about to rush into anything. God’s timing is much better than my own or anyone else’s.
And as for every man’s downfall being a woman…lol, c’mon…like men are just SO much better. Just as there are coniving women out there…there are coniving men. If that guy in the movie really cared at all about his brother he wouldn’t have gotten involved w/ his sister-in-law no matter what. Just look at Joseph, from the Bible. His boss’ wife came on to him day after day…and still, he refused. Why? Because he was a REAL man of God and didn’t want to sin against Him. He had too much respect for himself, his boss, his boss’ wife, and most importantly, God.
Hmm..so that’s all I have to say for now.
Gosh, I wish we could talk like this more often…only not on the internet..but actually in person, hehe.
relationships are very complicated and usually when you are young end fast because the word “commitment” is no where to be found. When i was in middle school a teacher once said that without commitment you cant have love and i thought that was the most untrue statement i had ever heard. I thought that without love you cant have commitment. Years later i have come to realize that she was totally right and i was beyond wrong (also from a personal experience). You choose to commit to someone and God honors that and then you have real love. Everyone wants a fairy tale ending but everyone needs a little turbulence in order to appreciate the good things. Oh and movies do a horrible job of portraying love. Notice that the love stories are never based on a true story
The only times I’ve felt the sting of love gone sour is not because I didn’t understand self-sacrifice, but because anytime we make a sacrificce in vain, it hurts. Self-sacrifice is only worthwhile when it accomplishes some good. If it was fruitless, it was a sacrifice better off not being made. So more often than not, the sting is regret more than anything.
I’m all too familiar with that sting, brother.
i completely agree….love has lost its “meaning”(if there ever was a concise meaning to it) and people now a days just say i love you to anyone and everyone, without really meaning it..such that an illusion of “love” is created in their minds and emotion lost…
the last person i told “i love you” brought me into this world.
i mean, if u think about it, is there really a need to tell someone that you love them? if you truely love them, wouldn’t your actions speak for themselves? wouldn’t the two of you have such a deep understanding of how each other feels, that the 3 words wouldn’t even need to be said? do you have to hear it?
i don’t think we choose to fall into love. i believe it’s called. and ‘i love you’ isn’t a statement said to just end a phone conversation neither is it the end of the world. it’s everything and nothing @ the sametime.