[Answer] Would living with your boyfriend make you break down?

[Answer] Would living with your boyfriend make you break down?

Life is not what we think it is. Realizing that is a sign of the beginning of maturity. In The Matrix, Neo stepping out of the virtual world and into the desert of the real is a fitting metaphor. As we grow up, most of the world we see is covered over by fairy tales and fables. To some extent, this is necessary early in life in order to help us build sound and kind values, and to shield us from being overwhelmed by the harsher side of the world. But no one really guides us toward the real world at the right time, and not everyone gets the chance, like Neo, to meet their own Morpheus. Our education system lacks instruction in the things that truly matter in life: love, finances, mental health, and even basic life skills—all important, yet neglected.

Commercialized entertainment and media make this inability to face reality even worse. Advertising and idealized romance dramas mislead us and create illusions about life. They make us believe that happiness is something that naturally falls into place, rather than something that requires hard work and careful cultivation. Of course, such pure and beautiful faith is admirable. But without more practical guidance, people often find themselves in trouble when confronted with real-life problems. Take romantic relationships, for example: how to deal with the trivial details of daily life, how to build a more stable and lasting relationship with a partner, and even how to handle financial issues. In fairy tales, all of this belongs to what happens after the prince and princess get together—the part after “the end.” But in real life, that is exactly where life begins. In relationships between men and women, there is almost always a difficult period of adjustment between initial attraction and lasting commitment. With some real guidance and education about intimate relationships, this process could perhaps be eased. Sadly, most people face life by instinct alone, ignoring the wisdom humanity has accumulated over thousands of years.