It's
a well known fact that relationships are the true basis to life, love
allows people to prosper and without it they suffer. People cling to
love like a leader desperately holds onto power; the moment it breaks
down, the feeling of an entire country caving in is a nagging
presence... Life begins and we take everything for granted. A gang of
personal servants wait on your every need and even though their job
is challenging they just can't get enough of your tiny chubby baby
face. Without their stamina and fortitude our existence would be
futile. As we journey through those initial few years of school,
friendships come and go. A new 'best friend' arrives every week who
we claim we simply can't survive without! Arguments arise over the
possession of a Barbie Doll and you suddenly become defensive when
your favourite teddy bear is insulted for losing his eye. Life was
carefree and innocent, and at this point relationships were viewed as
a mushy movie scene that you avoided watching. Everyone can recall a
moment in their lives when they were majorly embarrassed, while
watching a romantic scene with their parents. Don’t lie...we all
did it! Your daily routine stayed monotonously ordinary and your
family were always there, ready to fight your battles. It was a
guarantee. Without even realising it, you had just laid the basis to
one of the strongest relationships a person can obtain in their
entire life. The bond of a family can withstand war, natural
disasters and long distance separation. As children, thoughts such as
these don’t even enter our mind, it’s only as we get older that
we realise the importance of strong relationships.
The
truth about it is this, until we have lost somebody close to us or
felt threatened by loss, every relationship we hold is taken for
granted. I understand that there are people who will completely
disagree with me, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and
ninety percent of the time it all depends on life experiences. The
horrific agony and shock of losing a loved one transforms your view
of life. Suddenly those around you become a vital life-support, and
we realise how crucial their presence is. I’m not referring to the
loss of your childhood teddy bear (although that can be devastating),
parents separating, friends falling out and the death of a family
member or friend forces us to change our lifestyle, and adjust to the
circumstances. I’ve often considered how different my life would be
if I had different friends. Would I be a different person? Would I
enjoy life as much as I do now?
There’s
no denying the fact that everybody loves the prospect of meeting
someone new. The start of any new stage in your life can be filled
with endless possibilities and uncontrollable joy; especially a new
relationship. This new beginning is also known as the 'Honeymoon
Period', the brief chapter when that special someone holds no faults
and their 'Godly grace' seems fit to beat the holy man Himself. Next,
the 'Realisation Stage', what once seemed to be a halo has turned
into flaming horns and you're suddenly convinced every irritating
gesture is aimed towards you. It happens every time no matter how
hard you attempt to avoid it. Although, this aggravating era is
limited if we can simply reverse time...OK, maybe that's not quite
possible, but reminding yourself of the qualities that attracted you
to them in the first place is always helpful! It's quite a sombre
situation to see such an overwhelming amount of people who give up on
a relationship due to a breakdown in communication. This seems to be
the fashion in the modern day world, moving through relationships
hungry for happiness afraid of disappointed.
As
we grow up, we soon realise that it's less important to have lots of
friends and more important to have real ones. 'Friendship is the
hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn
in school. But if you haven't learnt the meaning of friendship, you
really haven't learnt anything.' - Muhammad Ali. As said by the great
man himself, friendship is not something you simply learn overnight.
It takes a great amount of effort and commitment. It's a bond, that
if strong enough, can withstand distance and time. Everyone has a
friend they'll know until the end of time; connected by a mutual bond
of trust that bares no limits. Friendship is one of the fundamental
relationships in our lives without which we simply couldn't function.
Sometimes
relationships cause more disasters that they’re worth. We often
hold onto people that we know will never change. It's difficult to
comprehend why; is it out of fear we won't find someone else...or is
it because we'll miss them when they're gone. I've never quite
grasped the functioning of the brain, or the thoughts that lead us to
convince ourselves of a certain 'idealistic' way of life. There's no
doubt that this situation frustrates me on so many levels. One must
realise that life isn't set out to torment and aggravate you, so
holding onto someone who will do just that, will ruin your chances of
ever finding happiness. I'm sure at this point my words sound like a
preacher's tips to life, but I honestly believe a relationship can
only grow from a strong foundation.
So,
I hear you ask, what are the most important steps to a strong
relationship? I honestly don't know the real answer to that question,
but I do know that I have the ability to maintain long term
friendships and sustain family life. Reviewing these relationships,
I've come to the conclusion; Forgive people and move forward, always
be loyal, stay in better touch with those who matter to you and pay
attention to who you're real friends are. Relationships are the true
basis to life, without them life would be meaningless.
