Relationship Commitment
A Closer Look At Devotion
To be devoted to someone means without doubt and or question. A person who is devoted does not seek reward nor benefit from their lover. Being together is reward in itself. Devotion is able to withstand the test of time, whereas commitment is destroyed by it. I strongly feel that devotion is purely based on the foundation of loyalty. If there ever came a time were self sacrifice would be in question, the devoted person wouldn't give it a second thought. To be completely given over to another person means devotion. There is no tradeoff. One compliments the other, as opposed to commitment, and the struggle for power is nonexistent. The balance is at equilibrium and there is no internal conflict over how one would benefit from such a position in a given relationship. An analogy of this would be two switches that would turn on a single light. In order for the light to be turned on in a devoted circle, both switches need to be on.
In contrast to the analogy, in order for commitment to function, one switch needs to be on and the other off and or visa versa. In turn, never to be in sync with each other because of one being dominate over the other. Commitment almost always has power shifts. By this I mean were one lacks in one area, the other provides. The reverse holds true as well, but this also demonstrates how one can benefit from the other. The expectation of commitment often involves seeking something in return, often wanting compensation for being in the relationship. Often committed relationships end because it no longer benefits them in being together. Unlike devotion, commitment involves obligations that we are not willing to perform, but are certainly able to. Nevertheless, under the circumstances, we have no other choice and must conform to the needs of our lover.
I personally would prefer devotion to be the most meaningful. I see it as being everlasting as opposed to commitment, which fades over time. I would even go as far as to say that commitments are basically promises and promises were meant to be broken. In addition, there is the possibility, with commitment relationships, of one's lover being left for another who is better looking, better off financially etc. In terms of devotion, there is no one without the other. So the very thought of being with someone else, let alone being apart, would be hard to conjure up. I think Aristophanes' idea of how we were once united exists through devotion, showing the true meaning and power of love.
The strongest weakness of devotion is that commitments are generally more believable and common. Devotion is a little hard to come by in this day and age were Hollywood ultimately controls our perception of how love unfolds. I tend to view devotion as not being definite and highly probable. The reason being that there is no way of proving devotion. Commitment is merely shown by sticking around. The fact that a couple has stayed together for as long as they have proves commitment. The only true way of knowing devotion is the last breath one takes. That is when the past reflections of a lifetime flashes right before your eyes and judgment is passed on wither or not your lover was devoted or only committed. Furthermore, devotion lacks the freedom of ever knowing how it would have been if the circumstances were different. Unlike devotion, commitments can be breached and even the extreme possibility of separation.
