So Close. How Close?

Is there anything better than waking up in the morning in your bed and suddenly someone who is special to you, hugging and greeting you a pleasant morning? It could be one of the best experience one could have. Perhaps only the lucky ones can. The question is, does it include you?

Being close to someone is a gift to humanity. It is a celebration of man's essence, that is to make another feel one's care and presence. Although nowadays being close to someone may occur in different types, but the type of closeness referred here is characterized by sincerity, care and warmth.

One should recognize that not all people are allowed to intrude another's intimate space. It requires trust and mutual understanding. Without these, people feel threatened,
thereby preventing the other to fully express himself or herself, and convey message of warmth and sincerity to another.

So Close

Being close addresses human needs. Here we discuss some of them.

1. Need for Belongingness

To belong to the company of someone is one of the most strongest driving force in the society. People disagree and fight because of this, but once the affiliation with another is recognized and adequately nurtured, contentment is attained. Similarly, being close with someone results to contentment, if intimacy is coupled with consistency and expression of feelings.

2. Need for Security

The time a person feels affiliated with another, it is not just individual contentment that results, but also a sense of security. This feeling involves on relying to someone whose presence is available and sufficient for one to endure life's challenges. This further means that being with another provides one more support and strength to him or her, regardless of what happens in the future.

3. Need for Care

Feeling secure and affiliated may not be sufficient if care itself is not felt and rendered to another person. Care ensures that one is not just physically available, but also feels and understands the experiences and feelings of the other. Thus, these individuals are not just close in terms of distance but they are in terms of thoughts and emotions.

How Close?

In spite of the benefits one could have from being close to another. One of the most important question one must ask himself or himself is how close should one be to another? This depends on a variety of personal and
cultural factors. It all depends on what is the intention of doing so. If the objective is to develop a happy long term relationships with a highly interesting person, then taking more risks to be more intimate with the other is the best option. This is the only way one appreciates another. This involves risks because the willingness to be close with another does not guarantee that the other wants the same degree of closeness. Well, how would one know if he or she would not try.         
Lastly, one must realize that closeness and intimacy are only elements of a complex constellation of factors affecting a good relationship. Being close could be a good start, but the decision to remain close after and longer, if not forever is more important to build a meaningful happy relationship.

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