>>124495389My wife and I are millennials, but we've been together for 12 years, since high school. In a sense, we've earned the relationship we have, but I'll admit we also just sort of fell into it out of luck. We did a lot of growing up alongside each other and went through just about everything imaginable during that time. I'm glad for that now. Life is so fucking short, and true bonds take time. Not just that, but actual effort. You have to learn to get over yourself and deal with someone else's shortcomings, in exchange for them dealing with yours, and growing to sincerely love each other in spite of all that. The idea that you can ask for anything else is a narcissistic, childish fantasy. It's a tragedy to go through your youth thinking it's better to "cut your losses" and bail on a relationship the first time you run into an issue with someone. Everyone is obsessed with the first stage of love - passion, infatuation, excitement - but that's just a reaction to novelty. That wears off. Then the real love starts and that's something you have to actually work at. Looking at the modern romantic landscape is like seeing someone watch the first ten minutes of a great movie over and over, every day, until it loses all magic, but still never letting it roll long enough to ever see the rest of it. And then, someday, they die. I'm not saying everybody is worth giving your life to, but it's not like running from commitment and refusing to give and take will get you an award on your deathbed. Figuring this out early isn't going to magically fix the opposite sex (particularly women) either, but it'll only help your relationships out if at least one of you goes in knowing the truth.
