It is always the case that values are learned and meaning is forged—not fixed or universal. Every relational dynamic must be forged in the present, not imposed through pre-existing scripts.

It’s far less disappointing—and far more honest—to form romantic and platonic bonds with openness about your desires and thoughts: whether that be engaging in any capacity with other attractive individuals, refusing their expectations and projections, or wanting a different lifestyle than another individual, than to expect two individuals to follow a cultural script, assuming that both people maintain the same expectations and values.

Don’t put people in a game with your rules and expect it to be equitable. Don’t cage people and then resent their impulse to explore. You don’t own them.