Last week, I watched the Season 2 premiere of ABC’s “Scandal”. In a heated argument with his wife over her meddling in foreign policy, President Grant said the following with so much anger that it felt like a verbal third degree burn.
“You’re ornamental, not functional.”
It’s harsh, but true. We want to believe that people establish relationships out of a mutual love for one another. While that doesn’t happen, there are those who establish relationships for face value only. I would refer to these relationships as ornamental. I am curious to know how many people are in ornamental relationships and don’t know it. You believe that you’re in this relationship because someone loves and respects you. Are you loved? Are you respected? Material things aren’t symbols of love. As I mentioned in Love Misunderstood, what you have isn’t love. As long as you keep your mouth closed, all is well in your ornamental relationship.
Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of people who are okay with that arrangement. Person A will do whatever it takes to maintain Person B’s role as silent arm candy, trophy wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend provided Person B knows their role. If it works for them, who are we to judge? Besides, normal has no blueprint.
The end.
Updated January 1, 2015
