It came to me yesterday that in this cyber age, the fastest way to ensure a relationship is over and will have next to no chance of ever happening again, is to broadcast the results of the relationship, along with your raw emotions, on a site such as Facebook.
Pre-Facebook age, when most of life wasn't spent online, if your relationship ended, it was usually only made aware to those closest to you, and you often had time to deal with it before the rest of the world found out. These days, the instant something happens in a relationship, be it good or bad, it's often highlighted online for all to see, where you immediately get a response from most of the people who see it, and that response is usually to pity you and condemn your ex.
What I saw on thinking about this yesterday, is the partner who has had a status written about them (and it's usually not leaving them in a good light) no longer has just 'you' to think about. They may ache to return to you, they may long for things to be as they were, but they've just seen what all your so-called friends would like to do to them, and are suddenly aware that it's not just you they have to take back but all those nosy friends of yours, who condemned him or her the moment you announced your 'woe is me' story. And I ask ya, who has the energy to deal with all those people in a relationship made for TWO! I know I wouldn't.
I mean, I would not just have to face my guilt and feelings towards my ex (who wrote a status about me in order to seek pity and/or validation of some sort), I'm now up against dozens of people who I KNOW now will turn on me the moment I put a foot wrong. As much as I may miss my ex (in this scenario) there's no way I'm going back into a group of people who wanted my blood, who will be forever watching every move I make, and are forever ready to attack me as soon as my partner is in the mood to broadcast my shortcomings again.
Who needs it?!
I ran this by one of my kids yesterday, when I was thinking about it, and they totally agreed. They couldn't go back to their ex because of the so-called friends their ex has rallied around them, who obviously want blood to compensate the ex's grief. It's the reaction of the angry mob that has finally killed any chance of that relationship being restored.
In short, if you want your relationship to be permanently over, seek sympathy on a site such as Facebook, and get your 'friends' to pity you and hate your partner.