There’s a wild notion that once two persons of the different sex get too close, intercourse is bound to happen. Many believe that platonic relationship, close friendship between a man and a woman without romantic feelings, is impossible. What do you think? Well, the truth is platonic relationships are very possible. As a matter of fact, it is the best relationship anyone can have, because it comes with respect and doesn’t border on elevated expectations or commitments.
So let’s assume there’s a guy named John and a girl named Sara. John and Sara are close friends and spend a lot of time together. They always hang out, they exchange hugs and high fives and none of them expresses romantic feelings for the other. They are simply friends. Now, mind you, this is different from the friend zone. In the friend zone one person has feelings for the other but the feelings aren’t mutual so they are hanging around hoping that one day they’ll have a chance.
Those in the friend zone are mostly men, poachers, in the offside position, waiting to pounce on an opportunity for a relationship or intercourse. In a platonic relationship there’s no hope for anything. You’re just friends like brother and sister. There’s no lurking emotions anywhere. Your friendship borders around respect and good will. Platonic relationships tend to last longer than romantic relationships. There’s usually no break up. It sometimes lasts a lifetime.
In some cases though, when two Platonic friends get too close, they fall in love and begin to admire each other. It’s possible and it happens a lot. John and Sarah could develop feelings for each other as a result of getting so close. And such relationships tend to be stronger because they’ve had time to understand each other prior to dating.
What’s the take away? Mutual respect is key to friendship. Love without any fleshly connection is key to having the utmost understanding and respect for an individual. Our heart and flesh will want what it wants and when we let it lead the way we might not find true friendships, true friendships that last a lifetime.
