Can men and women really be just friends...post break-up?

In the most rare of all cases, there are in fact people in this world who can become a tighter union post break up. I have yet to meet any of those people though.

The question has risen a time or two, yet there is no one to confirm or nothing to guarantee that such unrealistic expectations exist.

Can men and women truly, without any feelings left for one another, really be just friends after they part ways? Whether their break-up was a mutual one, a friendly one or an all out in-the-face-I-hate-you type, that question remains unanswered and with some serious thought behind it.

But truthfully speaking, can we remain friends with someone who we have been intimate with, someone who has possibly seen us at our most vulnerable state and someone who we used to do just about everything with?

Perhaps after some time has passed maybe we might start seeing that person in a different light? But there is always a reason as to why a relationship has ended. Isn't there?

So let's try this. A relationship didn't work out for whatever reason. Perhaps the guy did something that was simply unforgiveable. Maybe the girl said something that she could not take back which left feelings of resentment. Whatever the reason, people part because of various things.

It is true that every one is different and so are their thought processes, but when it all comes down to it, when we are to envision being friends with someone who at one point or another was the love of our life, it is one thing to say and another to not act on what we feel inside.

I am sure some can bury feelings of love and admiration towards their “new bff” deep down within themselves, but is that really fair? And in all honesty who is benefiting from this newfound friendship?

To think that someone has to remain quiet despite how they feel just because they are trying to accommodate this newfound friendship. What if you get that awkward weak in the knee feeling when that once upon a time ago ex passes you by? Or what if you get a weird unexplained knot in the pit of your stomach when you even talk about that person? But really, let's be the best of friends and forget about how we feel because being friends is top priority.

So, after extensive research from both sexes, the question at stake remains as is. Can men and women remain ‘Just Friends' with no ulterior motives?

Truth be told.

Both sexes agreed that unless the feelings are mutual and agreed upon, exes cannot be friends unless you are that one-of-a-kind couple who happen to surpass the norm and overcome all the stigma attached to being just friends with someone you once used to love and adore.

So, really ask yourself the question of whether or not you wish to remain friends with someone because you feel it's the right thing to do or because you feel you really owe it to yourself that you should?

In all honesty it shouldn't be a hard concept to grasp and everyone should be able to differentiate between the two, yet for some reason when there are feelings involved the game gets a hell of a lot harder to deal with.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
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