On Love and Acceptance

It has been said that when choosing your life partner, you have to get to know him well first. 


That principle didn't evade me even in the world of nursing: Assess before you diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate.


But what if even after thorough assessment, you found out that there are things yet to be discovered? What if even after all those years of knowing a person, you realize that you actually didn't know him well enough after all?

My recent emotional turmoil has led me to reflect on these things—something that has been bothering me for weeks and might still be plaguing my mind for the next days ahead. 


Anyway.


I don't think it was a discrepancy on my part of assessing that particular somebody. It was simply because people are always like that—we change, we reconstruct existing behaviors, and we learn to adapt new ones. 


I have come to realize that in every relationship, acceptance is a vital part in building trust and harmony. Seeing my parents fight despite all the years of being together is proof that misunderstandings and rough roads are always part of commitments, and most of them are products of the parties' contrasting views and attitude. 


Everyone is unique. We all have imperfections that make each of us special. These differences may lead to conflicts, and the only way to resolve the issues is through acceptance. 


Others might think that when they discover something new to a person they thought they knew for years, they would think that that person was only faking—creating a pleasing facade to attract people, only to discover the ugliness within. In some cases, that may be true. But if you truly love someone, you have to keep an open mind that not all things are made to be known to others. 



People are complex creatures, and change is always a part of life. We need to learn to accept things as they are and what they will become as the years progress. 

When you love someone, you have to learn to accept that person for who he is, admire his strengths, and be patient with this weaknesses. Love him not only for what you liked in him, but also for the things that make him human—his quirks, his temper, and his seemingly weird ways. For when you learn to understand him, acceptance and respect follows.

[Credits to deviantart for the image I used in this article.]