'You complete me..'
This probably sounds like the most romantic thing your partner may have said to you. It definitely feels good when someone tells us that we complete them. I, certainly, feel elated at the very thought of being at center of somebody's life.
Now, look a bit more deeply. This sentence of three words may sound more intense and powerful than the famous three-word line of 'I love you' but actually while the latter talks about a genuine affection, the former is about being dependent.
When someone says 'you complete me', it means they are incomplete without you which means they need you to be a complete person which eventually leads to the conclusion that without you, the person can not grow. And it is not wise to be with a such person or to be that person himself.
This is the very basic of problems in relationships be it friendship, love or marriage.
One person needs the other for his own needs. He needs her to fill some gap that he has in life or to act as a band aid to heal some wound he has got. The question here is whether such need based relationships are fulfilling for lifetime?
If you are in a person's life for a particular purpose, to fill a gap or to heal a wound, do you think your relationship is actually about mutual love, promise and growth or just about one person's needs and other person's giving habit?
What happens when your partner suddenly changes his purpose or his wound is healed? He would throw you away like a used band aid.
There are many relationships that become successful after starting on the note of a need based friendship.
But not everyone looks into things deeply. And then there are some basic needs of human beings. If you are satisfying those basic needs, good enough. But if you are there for demands like - he needs me because he has low confidence and I boost up his morale; he wants to marry me because I am nice to his family; he loves me because I lent him my shoulder when his ex ditched me etc, you need to watch out for yourself.
Such relationships fall flat after a while. Many a times the giver realizes that she is there only to give and now she is tired of 'doing' and wants things to be done for her. Or many a times the receiver feels that his purpose is fulfilled, he has moved on his last break up or now he has realized that he needs a bride for himself and not his family.
Every relationship and every human being has some innate needs. You must fulfill those. The need to be loved, talked about, feel wanted, touched and many others.
To be in a successful relationship, one should try to meet these needs and be there for each other to let them feel loved and grow!
Totally bang on, Surabhi! Such relationships end up becoming toxic and co-dependent.
ReplyDeleteAsh,
DeleteThank you! And yeah.. you used the right word. Such relationships actually become toxic.
When I heard the Jerry Maguire line for the first time, I too was floored like millions of women on this planet. It was only after being in a relationship that I understood that you cannot complete anyone and no one completes you. It is only when we are completely at peace and secure within ourselves that we can start loving the other person fully.
ReplyDeleteSo very well said Swapna.. and yeah your comment reminded me of the movie where Tom says this to Renee..! And yeah.. no one can complete anyone, it is an individual process.
DeleteA post that made me really think.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when we have caring and helpful people in our lives. To an extent that they compliment us at our weaknesses and motivate us on our strengths. And we truly start feeling incomplete without them!
We feel we are in love with them. Actually we are not!
Once we start working on our weaknesses, we find less dependent on them. This is the time when we think of the ways to let them know that we don't love them.
And relationships start to toxicate as Ash said it rightly.
Are you a mind reader Surabhi.. Thanks for the post :-)
Neha.. you have explained it very well. This is exactly how it works. once the task is over, we dont need the person anymore and the relationship falls apart.
DeleteHere you have understood true relationship and you have understand it very well. Sometimes I will also feel like same as your and now I’m perfectly correcting it well.
DeleteWell said Surabhi! Every relationship needs love and care, at the same time any relationship shouldn’t have passiveness because it will lead to the break up.
ReplyDeleteYeah!
Deletevery well written post surbhi...
ReplyDeletethough these 3 words sonund very nice but if you have a reason to love someone then it is not real love...
In a way it says if you need me and so you love me. then To be loved by you forever I have to make you dependent on me. And that is selfish and not selfless love
Thanks Sweta for writing in. ANd yeah.. such relationships eventually break off as and when one's needs get fulfilled.
Delete