Morning Snip:
Jealousy, Fading
Eric endeavors to take a scientific view of jealousy (not a current affliction, thank goodness), but does not quite succeed.
I thought of my own experiences with jealousy. I had been extremely jealous in my first relationship. I was constantly suspecting my boyfriend of infidelity and constructing heartbreaking scenarios in my mind. In later relationships, the level of jealousy declined dramatically and precipitously.
Could this be because my body senses that, by now, a sufficient amount of genetic material must have found its way into the creation of some new entities that will be able to carry on my genetic legacy?
I had assumed that it could be explained by how, in my first relationship, I felt like I had found something that I had been waiting for for my entire life. It was so special and so wonderful, I was terrified to lose it. So the idea of anything threatening to take my boyfriend away from me sent me into a hysterical state. Since our relationship had begun with a kiss, a kiss with another seemed like it might be the beginning of my end.
Now, many years later and with plenty of experience with heartache, I know that I will probably be able to rebuild myself after being brutally demolished, and I am also a better judge of what constitutes a true threat to the relationship. So, consequently, I am less jealous.