Originally posted by: infinity101
Umm personally for me you can’t start developing feelings for someone unless you feel an emotional connect towards them or have been talking with them on a regular basis which involves getting a little too friendly with them, it’s morally wrong when you are already in a relationship with someone else, when you are taken there are certain boundaries that one should respect, say if I have someone in my life I obviously won’t get over friendly with other people, doesn’t mean that I should stop hanging out with my male friends but certain things are off limits because a relationship is based on trust and loyalty. First of all if you are in love with your partner a question of falling for someone else doesn’t even arise, and if you are developing feelings for someone behind your partner’s back that’s called “emotional infidelity” and any type of infidelity isn’t okay, it’s not really that hard to stay loyal and be in control of your feelings IMO. And if for some reason you are getting attracted to another person, the first thing to be done should be to be honest about it with your partner since they at least wouldn’t be kept in the dark, cheating starts exactly with “getting feelings for someone” while you are still committed IMO and they just don’t develop out of thin air, you gotta have been involved with them in some way since quite some time, even if not physically.
The line between fidelity and infidelity, emotionally, is very grey, blurry, and messy.
Most people don't start hanging out with other people with the intention to cross a line or connect inappropriately. It often starts with something innocuous and platonic that people don't even fathom can lead to something. It could be attending a conference with a coworker or having to work on a presentation together. It could be arranging play dates for your kids or always being the ones who volunteer to chaperone a school trip. And then all of a sudden one day something stirs inside and you don't even know when you started liking them more than a friend.
You could have a colleague or an acquaintance who always flirts with you and you do all you can to avoid them because you are so deeply committed to your partner - but every once in a while you cannot help but enjoy the attention because a part of you misses the courtship and spark of new relationships. And sometimes people themselves flirt, thinking nothing really will come from some harmless flirting, you feel in control of your emotions and all of a sudden it feels more than just harmless flirting.
Being in love with someone does not mean that you will never experience attraction or affection for anyone else. The human body has no control over when it delivers a hit of oxytocin. And once you get a hit of oxytocin you tend to crave more. It is completely normal for humans to crush on multiple people or blush at attention from other people.
A large number of people have self-restraint that even when they don't cross the lines of a committed relationship. But many people do not have self-restraint. In the past this meant secret and clandestine affairs behind the facade of monogamy. But nowadays people who don't have that restraint are being more self-aware and remaining single with no strings attached relationships or open marriages or polyamory with some sort.
Some people have very transparent and open relationships with significant others where they discuss and share every crush or flirtation they experience. But most relationships do not have that level of honesty. There are many reasons why people don't share immediately when they develop feelings for someone else - they still deeply care about their partner and don't want to do anything to jeopardize it, they assume its is just a crush that they will eventually get over, they are confused and don't know if they can make a choice if it comes to it, or they feel guilty about it and cannot come to terms with it.
And if people have self-restraint and eventually get over their feelings then no harm no foul. But if people feel they are irrevocably falling for someone else - then they should ideally tell their spouse sooner than later. But attraction and arousal can inhibit rational thinking. People start behaving like junkies - they think they can quit anytime and just need one more small dose before quitting - but the dose gets bigger and bigger and the high gets stronger and stronger till there is no going back.
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Here's a random pondering - what are people's opinions on people finding platonic soulmates outside of marriage?
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