As we well know, one thing is to profess you care, and another is to show it.
Showing it means going out of your way -- inconveniencing yourself, if you will -- for other people. It means putting someone atop your priority list every so often, even though you have a slew of things you still need to tend to. It means being there when someone needs you, even if it's just via text or by phone. It means that you don't just surface on the person's birthday.
Real relationships are about putting into them what you get out of them.
Those who care aren't only thinking about what they can extract from the relationship. They wish to do their part to supply the love, companionship, affection, advice, and wisdom that the other person counts on.
The reason so many relationships fall apart is because although people say they care, they have very little to show for it. They take the relationship for granted, relying on the other person to sustain it on their own.
Actions speak far louder than words.
Take the men who woo women into bed with their charisma and sweet talk, but go on to treat them like garbage. How about employers who lure prospective employees with assurances of a fun, productive work environment, only for the new hires to be subjected to a toxic setting.
It's when people realize that others' actions don't align with their words that they often get fed up and walk away -- whether it be from a job or relationship.
If you think about it, it's probably worse to say you care and not show it than it is to do neither. In the latter case, at least you're not trying to deceive the person into thinking that you are in any way invested, in turn giving them false hope.
A relationship requires that both individuals put their time and effort into it; otherwise, someone will always feel as though they're being taken for a ride. If one isn't interested in pulling their weight, the stand-up thing for them to do is be honest about it rather than putting up a facade.
Talk is cheap, but actions are priceless.
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