So, a relationship ends without turning ugly. (ie. One has to move away to care for a sick or dying relative. The other can't go for similar reasons.)

Is that a good or bad thing? He/She was fantastic. Might you compare future SOs to him/her? Would that 'wonder' of how things could have been always be in the back of your mind? Would you be in a trap of having to find one who's better? What if he/she WAS the best? Would it be beneficial as an ego defense mechanism to make every split turn ugly so the next SO will certainly be better than the last?

Anytime I here of this situation I see it as a loophole to end the relationship. If you truly love someone, you will find a way to make it work.

You can move sick relatives closer to you or the two of you can move. Sure, you may have to wait to move because of job or housing. In the end, you can make it work.

The solution to this problem is simple. Never commit to someone until you know for sure you are deeply in love with him or her.

Never see someone more than a month unless you are serious about them.

To lead someone on is just as bad as cheating in my opinion.

I think if people were more honest with their feelings and people could take rejection with ease, the dating process would be simple.

I don't know if I agree with you entirely 75...If you've been friends with someone for a long time (a least a year)then enter into a relationship, then I can see giving it a month, then it's going to work or it's not going to work and the decision should be made then, but people get in such a hurry to "settle down", that they meet someone, one week later their sleeping with each other, seeing each other 3 or 4 times a week, know nothing about each other and when things don't move how one of them wants it to go, it's called game playing.

I personally would feel more comfortable with someone that I've been friends with for a while. I have had a number of male friends throughout my life and a couple have actually sparked into relationships, believe me, it is special, nothing like meeting someone with the intention of starting a relationship. I have had male friends that I secretly lusted over, not knowing them very long of course I would not at that time start a relationship, only to find that they are abusive or have some issue that I would not have wanted, now glad that I never got involved.

People!!!! It's okay to be friends with the opposite sex with no relationship intentions, it's the only way your going to really know the person, not just what you want to hear.

FYI---the 2 relationships that sparked, 1.)we were not very compatible in the sack, we had been friends for so long, we decided to keep our friendship and write down trying a relationship and just a bad week. 2.)became the love of my life, married him, then he was killed in a boating accident.