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In reply to the discussion: What are the main reasons men pay for sex? [View all]johnlucas
(1,250 posts)It might not be spelled out specifically & it might be done more informally but friendship & companionship are JUST as tit for tat as any other exchange between people.
Why do you think married couples or boyfriend/girlfriend couples start to get resentment when they feel the other partner is not contributing equally to the relationship?
A wife taking care of the kids after coming home from a long day at work & not even getting the smallest token of verbal appreciation from the husband.
More importantly physical help from that husband.
A boyfriend who goes all out for his girlfriend on her birthday, Valentine's Day, & Christmas & she won't even consider getting him fuzzy dice on the rear view mirror of his car.
The deed may be small objectively but the SUBJECTIVE value is what counts.
And that value has to match up with the value you're putting into the other one of the relationship.
If there is any deficit, it will only be forgiven for so long. You have to go that extra mile if you only went an inch before.
There is a grace period in making up any deficits but they have to be made up or resentment sets in.
ALL human relationships are quid pro quo.
ALL human relationships are tit for tat.
Even the one between you & your parents.
Grace periods may vary but there is always exchange going on.
It's all about reciprocation.
Ice-T has street knowledge & when I heard him make that quote years ago, I couldn't help but be stunned at how real it was.
You may look down on him because he's merely a "rapper" but I know that knowledge is owned by no one entity & it can come from literally ANYWHERE.
I learned "Work smarter not harder" from Scrooge McDuck of the 1987 cartoon Ducktales.
I learned about being yourself & appreciating differences from an episode of the 1984 cartoon Muppet Babies.
I learned the inherent fractious nature of human beings from an episode of the 1989 cartoon Garfield & Friends.
You can learn from a bum on the street just as much as a professor with his/her credentialed degrees.
Don't become a snob. Knowledge is EVERYWHERE.
John Lucas