Power holds a vital role in almost every aspect of life. It is sought in the workplace, in social situations, and maybe most importantly: in relationships. Power equals control, and as we learn at a young age, the one with the control rarely is the one who ends up devastated after a split. It is a sad aspect of relationships, which we have all experienced and to some extent, have come to terms with.

We are told that any good relationship is based on love and commitment. Yet, more often than not, the person who cares less is also the person who holds the power and control. It makes you wonder, why should we allow ourselves to care at all, when we know that allowing yourself to care often results in a loss of power? Obviously, power can also be used for the good of a relationship. Yet, how often have we all been in the position where we deeply care about someone and are willing to accommodate and sacrifice for them, only to find that they were not ready to give us anything in return?

I suppose every situation is different. In the end there will always be that person who may have been crazy about us, yet we failed to notice them. While on the other hand, there are those people who we were willing to do anything for, yet they remained uninterested in us. In most relationships, caring too much is setting yourself up to be hurt. I guess it is something we all have to learn to face.There is something vitally wrong with the whole pattern. It either requires you to hide your true feelings so that you don’t appear vulnerable or to only successfully date people if they are more interested in you than you are interested in them.

Maybe when you find the “right” person, the distribution of power is equal and everything just falls into place. Although, even then, is the role of power ever equal in two individuals, or will there always be someone who is weaker than the other? It becomes a balancing act between being honest and caring for someone, and ensuring you don’t become the one who is clinging too tightly. It seems that so many people have to deal with the pain of being more attached to the relationship than their significant other, which ultimately results in a messy ending. Perhaps what will signify a healthy relationship is when the balance of power and attachment between two people is fully achieved.