TRYST

friend or foe: pick your choice

apparently there is no middle-ground
for people with low self-reliance

woe is me: I got cornered by a needy person
demanding me dance with their strings attached

ok,
in the corner
here is what I came up with:

trust & respect is the currency
that sustains social transactions

trust is the fuel the propels social dynamics
(breach of trust renders it dysfunctional)

trust pivots on transparency

once I let guilt get triggered in me
and snap out of poise
I cave in to the pressure to appease & seek approval
and by the same token
I jeopardize trust & respect

the backbone of the relationship collapses and it degenerates into something mushy and vague

the interactions become contrived

and here is the deal:

letting yourself be bullied into seeking approval and giving up your resolve is something you should resent yourself more for than others

once you find yourself in this predicament there is only one way FORWARD: you have to address the issue head-on and communicate it openly with the parties involved
with this you’ll probably incur even more resentment
but at least transparency gets restored and the relationship is “saved” from blurring into the murk of dumb antagonism