True Grit

They say that man is only as strong as the company he keeps, and that no man is an island. I can agree with that on so many levels. A persons character is made up of many events of the past… whether good or bad. It’s called adjusting… or how we in the military call it, “overcome and adapt”.

In my opinion, a person who is shunned as a child by those around them would overtly become defensive, perhaps even hostile, towards people he comes in contact with. And a person who is mistreated will become reclusive altogether.

Thank God I am neither of them.

However, when it comes to relationships, things can change.

It can take a strong man to be toppled by the actions of a woman, and vice versa. A good example is Samson and Delilah. I mean this guy was strong and smart, but apparently not strong willed. Couple snips of his locks and he was just a weak as everyone else. But we all know what happens later in that story.

My observation as of late is that what one person can tear down, another person can build up… and vice versa. It is also said that behind every strong man is a strong woman… but there is a flaw in today’s society:

It’s all about how fast can you break one’s wall down.

I am witnessing a couple relationship implode before my eyes… when I met them, the wife was a strong minded woman. She was determined that no man was better than her man, right until she made a confession to him recently. Then the wall came down like Jericho… but I knew the reason behind the breakdown:

No boundaries were established.

They had a relationship that consisted of them having no issues having friends, no matter if they were married or single, male or female. I find serious problems with that:

If your partner had that friend before you met, cool. If your partner introduces their new friend to you, that’s cool too…

However-

You don’t get friends (male or female) and keep them “on the side”, and you certainly don’t go out on dates… with just your “friend”.

That is straight disrespectful.

Let me break it down this way; respect is the primary foundation of any relationship. It turns thugs into gentlemen, hoochies into women. No way will anybody disrespect another person that they are interested in… period. Once the respect is established, love quickly follows. I haven’t met a couple yet that loves each other, but didn’t respect each other, for you can’t love anybody you simply don’t respect. If you lose respect with the person you love, disaster awaits. And the victim of the relationship will lose their “wall”. Since that other person had already lost their respect for you, so it’s pretty much fair game for them… they will continue to tear you down, by any means necessary.

A house is only as strong as its foundation… anyone can be successful, but not become successful alone. It takes a strong foundation of a partner to help one succeed… even if they failed in the attempt. But to be their “foundation”…

Your relationship will last much longer.

Well… that is just my opinion.

'chuss.