Relationships and cheating.

[Spectral]

i'll quote chris rock: "a man is just as faithful as his options", i don't think that cheating is right, but i understand why some people can't resist it.

That makes for a good joke, but it's not particularly accurate. When I was younger and dumber, I cheated on my girlfriend even though I didn't really have great options. Now, I could much more easily hook up with much better looking women, but I'd never consider cheating on my girlfriend. I'd say that an accurate description is, "a man is as faithful as he is happy with his relationship". That's not 100% true either, but it's closer.

[moremana]

Hmm well getting to the point where you call the girl you "girlfriend" should be that "point" you're talking about... I mean if she's my girlfriend, she should not cheat on me, since we are NOT married yet, she can easily break up with me (with no legal trouble,divorce,etc) and find someone else. That´s how I see it at least...Then again, I´ve always thought of marriage as a religious thing, a formality. I am NOT ok with cheating in a relationship, married or not. Like I said, if the girl wants to see another man, then go ahead and break up with me and find someone else,it´s simple.

Also, relationships are based in trust. If you and your girlfriend are ok with seeing other men/women while in a relationship, then thats fine, but the term "cheating" implies breaking that trust,and "hiding" stuff from your gf/bf.

This ^
Being in a commited relationship means being faithful, if you want to date, then date, if you want to be exclusive, then thats a commited relationship. It all depends on what people consider "commited relationship" thats a discussion you need to have before the relationship gets serious.

[Deleted]

I'm a firm believer in being honest and upfront in relationships. If you want to sleep around then you should be single, or make it clear to your partner early on that you want it to be an open relationship. Cheats inevitably get found out because sooner or later you will slip up so be honest with yourself and your partner about the type of relationships you want for yourself.

Frankly imo there is never an excuse for cheating, and for me that is a red line in any relationship that once crossed will kill the relationship.

Because relationships are built upon trust and if that trust has been broken and you cannot trust you cannot have true love and intimacy.

[Mithfin]

Marriage is only about legal stuff. Like, "I want to share my finances with you".
Living together is about love and friendship. Like, "I like to spend the vast majority of my free time with you".
Sexual relationships part is not governed by any of these and a pair should discuss it openly at the beginning of their relationships to avoid misunderstanding in the future. Really, people make sex into something bigger than it is nowadays, pandering to their bestial "ownership" instincts and archaic medieval taboo.

[-aiko-]

Frankly imo there is never an excuse for cheating, and for me that is a red line in any relationship that once crossed will kill the relationship.

This is my stance. If you cheat on me, it's over. I can't trust you, and so I won't be in a relationship with you.

[Velaniz]

I don't know that they can be untethered here. It seems like a feedback loop.

Oh no doubt. But it's not the perfect "chicken or the egg" loop either. One of those is more cause than effect, and I'd have to go with a better quality of life being more of a precursor to happiness than the other way around, personally.