like, i genuinely believe most problems in the average relationship can be dealt with if the people involved just had an honest, open conversation with each other. it doesn’t have to reach a resolution or be peaceable or anything, just hash things out. air out dirty laundry. all parties have a responsibility. one person can’t be doing all the work while the other just stonewalls, indefinitely. work your shit out, no matter how long it takes and how messy it is, bc that’s the test of love/friendship. you fail it if you end things prematurely, and you fail it if you unilaterally fashion yourself as the victim/wronged party and the other as the perpetrator/aggressor. a relationship should be 50/50, and that means taking on the share of the work it takes to mend and maintain relations when the going gets tough. relationships require effort, and a lot of it is just conflict mediation & resolution, which requires all parties to play their part. easier said than done, obviously, but that’s all the more reason to work at it