THE BEAUTIFUL GAME!

The beautiful game- Sorry boys, I'm not talking about football I'm talking about love.
What's that you say? Love is not a game? Well I disagree.... like a lot of games it usually has more than one player. When I say player I don't mean cheat(er); I mean someone who knows the rules of the game (whether they adhere to them or not) and immerse themselves in wave after wave of verbal and psychological contracts with other players, giving to get and getting to give. In other words people who engage in sentimental relationships with the opposite sex {yes that’s right! I said opposite sex- this is not politics}.

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not pretending to be a pundit or an expert on the game by any stretch of the imagination because I’m more inexperienced than most. However, I’ve had the privilege of watching some of the masterminds at work and the rookies too {no names don’t worry}. All I know is that love is nothing like football! Simplistic statement but let me explain: In football, players can have poor games and still score or gain something from the game, in love it seems to be all or nothing. Similarly in love all mistakes can seem incorrigible as they are magnified by emotion whilst in football the grace period is a little longer. That’s why I love football lol!

Having said all that I was referring to sentiment in relationships which can end up anywhere and although an important part of a relationship, thank God it’s not the only part. Like I said I’ve been watching a lot of people in relationships and although every relationship is different there seems to be a lot of common mistakes I can learn from. Note to self:

1. I’ve learnt not to rely on sentiment to make it work {that is 100% dangerous}, there has to be some kind of spiritual attachment as well, hence why relationships should not be rushed into. For me personally I want to be able to connect with my future partner on many plains, especially spiritually and intellectually.

2. Take your time to build friendships even if you’re already in the relationship, constantly assess how well you know the person, compatibility, etc because unfortunately people can change- after all they’re only human.

3. I am a Christian and as such I believe it is absolutely paramount that Christ is at the centre of the relationship, by that I mean that we both should hold Christian values and exercise them so we can build each other up. A Christian home should be like a spiritual gym and we all know how hard it is to maintain fitness.

4. Do not go into a relationship if you’re not sure if you really like the person because a) You’re probably not going to treat them the way they deserve to be treated and b) You’re more likely to rob yourself of potential happiness too.

5. Lastly play by the rules of the game, nobody says it’s easy but when played right it is so incredibly beautiful.

These are my thoughts today! If you disagree or you want to correct me on anything I have said then I would only be too glad to hear your views so let me know.

Selom Sunu- Life student