I am 18-years-old, attending college for a degree in English. I love to read, write, and draw, and I like to have opportunities to help people and express my opinion.

I Have A Girlfriend

I've been in a total of two relationships; the second of which I'm currently in (since January). I won't be so bold as to suggest I've become expert in such matters, but friends often seek my advice about their relationships, so I assume there's something they value about my frankness and willingness to listen.

My first relationship failed over the weekend; it was 10th grade and I really hadn't a clue. I'm not someone who just whirls in and out of love with someone I just met, plus I had about zilch experience, so that ship sunk.

Guys: Be Sensitive

I'm much more mature now, and I think the most valuable lesson I've learned (from any relationship with a female) is to pay attention, i.e., to be sensitive.

Divorce Should Be A Last Resort

Separating or breaking up in a relationship is one thing, but divorce is a much heavier topic in my eyes, a last resort from unbearable abuse.

I Believe In Passion

Passion, commitment, and intimacy are what I believe to be the keys to making a relationship survive; it's more complex than that, of course, but I think that's the simplest that you can boil it down to. I don't look favorably on any kind of cheating, married or not, no matter what the reason, but I can understand well enough what behavioral incentives drive people in relationships to act this way.

Rather than focusing on who said or did what wrong, when I talk to people about their relationships, I just try to interpret the situation according to my experience and lay out that insight for them.

point of view: I've read a few of the other panelists responses, and I agree with many, if not most, but some seem much more liberal than I would be.

– Griff