And they lived Happily Ever After
...he other person. It is the “art of letting things happen” – we, as individuals, need to be open to being hurt - because the future is unpredictable, but be entitled to the joys as well. Paul Simon once wrote a song entitled “I am a Rock”, in which he concludes his song by saying “I am A Rock, I am and island. And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.” This communicates that interpersonal bonds, or relationships, cause so much pain, so instead of being part of a group, it is better to be alone. If he or she is, they will never feel pain or cry. To survive he does not need anyone he just needs himself. It is likely that this song was written from a broken heart. So often people believe that when they have their heart “broken” they will never love again. But that, in essence, is love. Part of loving is the endless nights crying, saying, “I hate them,” when you really love them, the tests, and the trials. Yes, we can survive by ourselves. Yes, we can be independent and never feel pain, but are we then feeling anything, and in turn really living? I along with many others, have felt this pain and out of my naivety believed people would have to be a masochist to be in other relationships, when in the end we repeat the cycle. So why continue in this cyclic way? Because love is not just the pain: it is the ecstasy, the joy, the laughter, the needing of someone else, and also, having that someone need you as well. Even so, one cannot really survive by themselves. The deeper meaning of this song that many people relate to because they, too, have experienced times when the going gets tough and there are no more tears to cry. So why not prevent all of this suffering by just being alone. This only leads to more isolation, more suffering, more pain, and more tears. This is where the importance of relationships lies, knowing that there will be struggles because there are no guarantees, but also experiencing the ecstasy along the way. Conflict and mistakes are inevitable. This does not, however, necessarily mean that all relationships are doomed from the...