BF-GF Relations : Why Make It Exclusive?
I was struck with this question raised by a classmate in our Broad Comm class. At that time, some were stating reasons to justify the existence of NBSBs. Most important among these is their fear of commitment. They'd prefer to have many friends rather than to invest much of their time in a single person. Our female professor encourages college students to have boyfriends / girlfriends. "Boring ang buhay 'pag walang ganun, 'di ka kumpleto," she says. While I disagree with most of the reasons given by the "singles", I also express the same sentiment towards people who see boyfriends / girlfriends as instruments to achieve completeness. Most of all, to a person who gets a partner just for the sake of having one. The phrase is not to complete, but to complement.
It feels great to love...and a lot more elevating when you know that this love is reciprocated. But oftentimes, love is habitualized; standards exist in several relationships. Love is measured in terms of quantity of time spent together. A boyfriend should always fetch his girlfriend. It is hard to keep a long-distance relationship 'coz if you're out of sight, you're out of mind. One must keep on texting "his girl" or "her man." He / She shouldn't forget to ask if the other has eaten breakfast or drank vitamins. But why does it have to be so? Can't they retain a degree of independence and still indulge in a close connection?
The problem with intimate relationships is when the people involved become too demanding. Sino 'yang ka-text mo? Bakit 'di mo 'ko tinawagan kagabi? Wala ka nang oras sa 'kin. So sad and definitely tiring. Eventually, you lose the person. You shouldn't have been paranoid and obsessed. Makes the other person wish that he or she's single again.
It feels great to love and be loved. It's a feeling worth gambling for. As much as we can, we'll never let go of it. I'll keep it in my heart forever. Nung naging "kami", Oo, siya at ako'y naging isa pero hindi namin ikinulong si "siya" at si "ako." Walang pumipilit sa aming manatili rito. What good is a love if there is no freedom?
