In the world today, marriages are at an all-time low. Divorce, on the other hand, is just like some jawbreaker that can be bought from a candy shop. Couples invest in grand, beautiful weddings, but whatever happened to long-lasting relationships? Disney happily ever-afters? Even boyfriend-girlfriend or live-in couples face the same tragedy. We find ourselves then quoting the Black Eyed Peas, asking, what’s wrong with the world, momma? Why do relationships fail?
Lack of communication
You and your partner can stay in one house, exchange words, and do all things except one: communicate. Communication is more than just talking. With the progression of a relationship, couples find that they hear each other talking but neither is listening. Suddenly, quality conversations get lost in the way. Whether by physical distance or not, many couples today fail to solve their issues because of deteriorating communication.
Difference in direction
You are too ambitious, but your partner isn’t. When it’s time for you to pursue your dreams, you find that your partner isn’t up to that journey with you. Or maybe, the direction that you both want to take wouldn’t feasibly allow you to continue to be lovers. There are just so many factors as to why individuals seem in love at one moment, but would ultimately part because of need for personal growth. It seems sad, but at the end of the day, self-actualization is still humans’ greatest need.
Disillusionment
Yes, you’ve read it right. So many couples are disillusioned by the one thing they seek the most: love. With what Hollywood is teaching us, true love is all about butterflies in the stomach, spending everyday in each other’s arms, falling for the other’s outside appearance. However, couples are surprised to find that relationships are not just rainbows and butterflies. We enter relationships thinking “what will I get from this?” when actually, true love is asking “what can I give to my partner?” Feeling loved, finding the right person is not the end matter. At the end of the day, love is a verb. It is not something that you just fall into, it is a constant decision to stay in love with your partner, be it in his or her best or worst condition. With our diluted version of love, we are not able to give love in our relationships and make them last.