Rejection

I think one of the hardest things that human beings have to deal with in life is rejection. Rejection from lovers, spouses, parents, siblings, and friends are primarily responsible for all therapist bills in the United States. The problem with rejection is that it always comes after you've given yourself or at least a huge portion of yourself to another human being. You've put yourself out on a limb, you've done the best you can, you've put on your A game, you've done everything you could to make someone happy, and the only thing you wanted was appreciation for your actions. When devoting yourself fully to another, we desire to see those actions reciprocated, to have our love reflected back to us. When we strive to love another and to show how much we care and the other takes it, either ignores it or acts in the opposite of our expectations, we are rightfully devastated. One of the things we desire most in the world to is to be loved. This means different things to different people, and when you are in a relationship, you need to know what that other person needs to feel loved and act accordingly. If you "love" someone, failing to show that person they are cared about in the way they so desperately desire, will cause unrelenting pain in the other persons soul. Even if you are angry with them, or disapprove of their recent actions, you can still show love. I don't believe that rejection is ever appropriate. It's self-serving, narcissistic, and ultimately one of the most hurtful things a person can do. This doesn't mean that we should be in unfulfilling relationships, it means we should always be honest about how we are feeling about others so that they have the opportunity to change and show they love us in return. Failing to voice the truth about how much, or little, we actually care about someone is the weed that chokes relationships to death.