Lead me on...

Some of my friends were unfortunately presented with the following situation:

After a few months of dating the same girl, after she thanked him time and again for wonderful dates, she "suddenly" (not to her...) told him it was not going to work out. Needless to say that while he sense things were going slowly, he did not see this coming.

Questions:

1. Even if the girl felt she was leaving him all kinds of clues as to her intentions, obviously there was a miscommunication. Why not be straight and open? Isn't that how relationships are built? Yes, it is hard. We can all appreciate that. But no one says this is easy and yet it is absolutely necessary. Since when was heart breaking on any level an acceptable price to pay.


2. On the other hand, what has been more common is the issue that people feel pressure to date yet still are not personally ready. They might try to convince themselves they are, and they rightfully want to be, but maturity and development comes with time. No one is judging the people who date just to date, or those who date solely to get married. The only requirement is that it be made clear from the get-go. It's only fair- to both people. There's nothing wrong with taking one's time while dating, but the goals must be stated.

I think that people (and yes, I have done this myself) have misplaced their good intentions and instead brought sorrow. There's no excuse. People have to realize that this is life, and sometimes the best answer is the hardest one.