If transparency is the key word in the corporate world and government, openness is becoming central to personal relationships! Open relationships and bare-all confessions soon after. The time for hush-hush liaisons is past and men, especially, can’t seem to wait to tell all about their infidelity. It would seem they are proud of their cheating ways. From Shane Warne to Tiger Woods and, closer home, “Casanova” Ranbir Kapoor, their hearts, and more, are on their sleeves.
Blame it on the “ape-the-west” attitude, experts say. Though illicit relationships are not new, the change in attitude betrays a loss of traditional values, according to experts. Says Dheep Rajappa, a family counsellor, “Youngsters are now materialistic. The value system is missing. Earlier, the joint family system gave space for people to tackle such issues without having to break the code.”
With the lure of social networking, there seems to be more space for young minds to break the code. Falling prey to temptations is not an unheard of situation. Reema Sen, says, “The only sacred factor in a boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife relationship is fidelity. Once that is abused, there is no meaning left to the relationship itself. It loses its sanctity.”
Ankitha Rajendran, a software engineer, says, “Many of my friends do believe that it’s human to give in to temptation. But it can never be acceptable to people who are bound by tradition and culture.”
Women are less tolerant of infidelity today and, with financial independence, have the option to reject a cheating husband or boyfriend. Says relationship expert Saraswathi Bhaskar, “Earlier, even if the husband was caught cheating, women would accept it. Now it’s a different scenario and women have more options in weighing whether putting up with the infidelity is worth it or not. They have more choices in eventually moving on.”
But the overwhelming reality remains that of hurt. As Ganesh says, “People say that until you face the situation, you wouldn’t know how to react. But as of now, if I were to give an answer, I would never agree to give another chance.”