#But that doesn’t mean I should discount it

[thatlonelycactus]

Back in high school when we were studying “Romeo and Juliet” (aka the Shakespeare test which seemingly everyone studies- it’s a canon event I swear), my English teacher said something that I honestly believe changed the way I view relationships.

For a bit of context: we were a pretty no-shit class and were all very happy to point out all the red flags and flaws in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. Even our teacher didn’t try to hide her distaste towards the subject. She was always quite frank with us about how she was not at all fond of the text, and it really didn’t take long for us to agree with her perspective. The topic began to become hour long periods of our class discussing how foolish and naive and idiotic and whatever the protagonists were. Until one day, when, in the midst of a discussion of how idealistic and mindless their relationship was, our teacher said:

“I know we all talk about the flaws in their relationship but we also have to remember that their love for each other made them happy.”

And fuck. In my little, mindless brain, I had failed to consider that they were happy. It never had to be a long lasting happiness, but they were happy. Why should I care about what might have happened? Sure, if they had survived it might have all gone to shit, may have all turned into a pile of radioactive waste. But, in that moment of time, for those three days, they were happy. Their worlds essentially orbited around each other. It may not be a healthy relationship dynamic in the long term but in the now, in that short time, they were happy. And who am I to take it away from them? Me, the teenager who had never felt like they could move mountains with the force of love before? Me, who had never felt like they could not and would not live without someone in their life?

Because, at the end of the day, do any of us have the right to tear them away from something that makes them happy and has caused them no harm (discounting the end)?

If, at the end of our lives, we get to see a list of all the moments that changed us, I think this may be up there. But who knows?