Can't Live Without You.......Jealousy can destroy you...

Elvis Presley captured something painfully true in Suspicious Minds:

“We can’t go on together with suspicious minds.”

That line isn’t just about jealousy—it’s about dependency.

One of the most dangerous beliefs in relationships sounds romantic on the surface:

“I can’t live without you.”

It feels loving.

It feels devoted.

But in practice, it places unbearable pressure on the other person.

Why “I Can’t Live Without You” Is a Problem

When someone believes they can’t live without their partner, several things happen—quietly but powerfully:

• Love turns into survival
• The relationship becomes the source of identity
• Fear of loss turns into control
• Jealousy intensifies

Now the partner isn’t just loved—they are responsible for your happiness, stability, and sense of self.

That’s not intimacy.

That’s emotional weight no human can carry.

Love Needs Freedom to Breathe

I love my wife deeply. She is my partner, my companion, and uniquely the best person in the world for me to be married to.

And here’s what matters:

If she were no longer in my life, I would go on.

There is still work to do.

There is still impact to make.

There is still a calling on my life.

She is my love—but she is not my reason for existing.

And that truth doesn’t weaken love—it strengthens it.

When your partner is no longer required to be everything:

• Pressure lifts
• Love becomes a choice, not a need
• Jealousy loses its grip

The Paradox of Real Love

The strongest relationships are built by two people who want each other—but don’t need the other to survive.

When you know who you are:

• You love without clinging
• You trust without monitoring
• You choose rather than fear

That’s the kind of love that lasts.

Because if you truly can’t live without someone, the relationship is often already in trouble.

Love thrives where fear is replaced by strength.

And trust grows best in freedom—not dependency.  In the next entry we will explore what that looks like.....

Jack Stanley B.C.C.                   ©Jack Stanley 2025