Loved or Respected
I would rather be respected. There is a difference between fear and respect, Both ensure a lower chance of defiance, but fear also permanently burns the bridge of trust and severely damages any type of genuine bond that could have been created to maintain a healthy relationship. While I also do firmly believe that love and respect come together, the disguisable descriptors of “I love what they do” and “I respect what they do” draw a line. Where further to the loved side can come disregard to one's faults and a romanticizing of toxic traits and too far to the respected side comes lack of empathy and little to no consideration for the emotional wellbeing of the relationship. These extremes of the spectrum, both pushing on unhealthy ideology towards the relationship, are situations I have been in, which I believe enable me to be able to see the bigger picture of what boundaries I should set and what side of the spectrum works best for me. Whether it be a friendship or a fam...
