It is not easy to accept failures, to realize that we may hurt others, whether intentionally or not. It is not easy to admit our mistakes because doing so means improving, changing something about ourselves, and change can be exhausting.

Not everyone is capable of understanding that their behavior is largely influenced by what happens in their lives. Accepting the consequences and acknowledging that we are not perfect is a challenge. This is why so many friendships, work relationships, family bonds, and romantic connections do not last. Being with someone requires compromise, boundaries, respect, sacrifices, and mutual effort. Every interaction should be balanced.

Otherwise, one person will always carry more weight than the other—something that happens almost all the time. Those who are not used to self-reflection will hardly be able to truly see others. Instead, they might think they understand them while only observing superficial aspects, limiting themselves to appearances.

Since they never take a second to reflect on their actions, they spend their time scrutinizing others, constantly criticizing and judging. They unload their frustrations onto their partner, their mood swings, their disappointments—and when the other person reacts, they expect them to change their attitude instead. Perhaps they do not realize that the responses they receive are unpleasant because they themselves provoke discomfort.

There are many people who hurt their partners or friends, and when those people react, they feign confusion, claiming they don’t understand why they are being treated that way. They apologize, act offended, and accuse others of selfishness and insensitivity. They become the victims of the situation, and trying to make them understand is futile.

Being involved with people who refuse to self-reflect is often painful and draining. The emotional burden will always rest on one side. And not only that—you will constantly be labeled as harsh, cruel, annoying, and insensitive.

Even the greatest love or the strongest friendship cannot survive in a relationship where there is no reciprocity, understanding, respect, and sharing. Before these one-sided relationships consume us, we must close them. We must learn, once and for all, that people do not change; at their core, they remain who they are. And love is not enough—it cannot “save” those who do not wish to be saved or those who do not even believe they need saving.