Monday, March 3, 2008

a response

HE SAID:
http://nothingisatlastsacred.blogspot.com/


SHE SAID:

pathological

Main Entry:
path·o·log·i·cal

1: of or relating to pathology2: altered or caused by disease; also : indicative of disease3: being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal


I think the term pathological was actually quite appropriate. I do believe that "being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal". I think that is dead on.

I'm struggling to understand, to make sense of the situation. There are a couple of misrepresentations here.

First, the affair began before Japan. Japan was all about understanding eachother. We talked for days about what we wanted from life and how we felt about things. That day at hiroshima castle when we talked about how life was too short and we had to make sure that we did the things we wanted in the time we were given. You said you wanted time to do music and your work. I said I wanted to make sure I had children. You said they weren't mutually exclusive.

And you never mentioned that you were interested in someone else.

So, even as we were discussing going our separate ways, you misrepresented. I was perfectly clear that I was ok with us going our separate ways. I was sad, but I would be ok.

And you NEVER said "no" to the marriage question. You said "I don't know." No would have been the right answer and the best answer.

I'm not stupid. I saw the distance. But you kept telling me in was because you were working too hard. I saw things falling apart. You were not an easy person to live with. You were consumed with one project after another, and obviously pulling away. When I was sick and unable to get out of bed, you disappeared with a "dude, that sucks. I can't afford to get sick" and didn't really come home for more than a few hours for three days. That's not a relationship.

Traditionally, when I would bring up that I was unhappy, your answer had been "it's not always going to be like this" and my response was "if we have no future than what's the point in dealing with this now?" As things got worse, I struggled to justify it.

Second, You call it your personal punishment, but you were the one who was engaged in something new and exciting, and I was the one stuck at home sad and confused by your words. I could have been out there too. So who was punished?

Third, regarding emails and text messages. You did delete your emails, and you took your laptop everywhere with you. none of the messages you received were there. I only found some in your sent mail that you had clearly overlooked. You always had your phone and you were rarely home when I wasn't asleep. If think that is subconsiously trying to get caught, you're continuing to fool yourself.


You had every opportunity to be honest. We talked about things a BILLION times. You hid EVERYTHING. Remember the talk on new years eve? we discussed moving on. And you didn't even bring it up then. I wanted to go! I changed my profile to single, and you kept sucking me back into the void.

I know you tend to do things just because you've been doing them for a long time. You don't change easily. Where I try to move once a year and change jobs once every couple months, and change careers once every couple years, you tend to find a groove and stay in it. Like Sparc. Like IF. Like your economics degree. Even if you are uncomfortable, you stick with it because you feel you should or someone expects you to.

I really hate how you talk about torturing yourself. How is going out with someone new and having great sex torture? It's pure indulgence, without considering the consequences. You hurt me. You would never have hurt yourself if I hadn't forced you to admit your lies. You did exactly what you wanted and then continued to try to play the other side too. I didn't want to be in the role you cast me in, but you kept forcing me back into it. Just when I was detatching myself, you'd do something like the retarded valentine's day stunt. I told you as much. You can't keep trying to get close and pushing me away again. It was like continual rejection for 3 months! It could have happened just once and been done!

You have to quit hiding behind this making people happy crap. You know in your heart of hearts that I wasn't happy, and I wasn't going to be happy with an illusion. To say you were lying to make me happy is lying to yourself. "The heart wants what it wants" I can accept if it isn't me, but I can't accept that you FUCKED WITH MY HEAD.

I told you in our "nth conversation about marriage" that I wanted to "Move on in the relationship or move on." I said that I would rather be single and start over now than in another 2 years of uncertainty. I said as much a year previously too, but all you could give me was uncertainty, so I held on. I didn't want that! I just wanted to force you out of the groove! Force you to consiously make a decision about your life, and not just flow into whatever happened to come your way. Like when I said you should take classes at art center with me, or move to silverlake, or follow up with grant instead of continually bitch about how you didn't like what was going on. Push you to make a decison. I was pleased as shit when you finally seemed to have an answer besides "I don't know" for me, it's all your wavering as time went on that fucked it up.

Stop it. Stop hiding behind your upbringing and accept that your actions are your own. Don't just take the first thing that falls into your lap because it's easy and fun. Think about what you really want and who you are and what you need, then make YOUR (not anyone else's, or anyone else you can blame for its) decision and stick with it.

This shouldn't be for public consuption. I wanted to hurt you. I wanted the world to see that you weren't the sweetheart that you make yourself out to be. You're just another man who did a shitty thing and got caught. Who didn't have the balls to own up to what he was doing - pursuing his own happiness without concern for those around him. Forcing others to lie for him.

I'm trying to see the other side of you too. Trying to see you for a human being and not just a selfish man. But you haven't convinced me yet.

I think this is good in a way. We're presenting our arguments without getting involved with eachother. I would not want to have any conversations with you or be personally involved on any level, but I think it is helpful for both of us to sort through things and arrive at what really happened so we can both be cleansed and hopefully never find ourselves in the same situation.

Let me ask you one thing. What could I have done to have alleviated the situation? I feel like I was just manipulated until I finally said that it had to stop. How do you see my actions? You clearly know how I see yours.

2 comments:

telemason said...

Ah. Public discourse into the nature of such a personal matter. If this is the way we need to communicate, to put our personal lives in the public eye, then you've obviously made that choice for both of us. What a spectacle! This shouldn't be for all to see. This is a glimpse into something very private and personal. I understand that you want to hurt me, and you have every right to do so. You've also chosen by far the most powerful method of doing it. Our metaphorical Nuclear War... You are exacting revenge for something very terrible that I had done, and I am in no position to argue. This morning when I read your comment to my post, I was embarrassed, hurt, ashamed. As I should be. I scrolled down to the trash icon of your comment and prepared to delete it by impulse. I didn't want anyone to see, to know... But then I stopped. Instead, I started writing this. It's painful, embarrassing, both to read and write. But by forcing myself to go through this incredibly difficult catharsis, and dealing with things publicly, I don't have anywhere to hide. The nature of the situation feels very Hester Prynne'esque. Everyone knows everything, and maybe that's a good start. Time will tell...

"I'm trying to see the other side of you too. Trying to see you for a human being and not just a selfish man. But you haven't convinced me yet."

Maybe over time, I can convince not only you, but everyone else, including myself. I know I'm only human, and that like everyone else, I make mistakes too. But why was I so inclined to fail so miserably? To lie so unashamedly? Pathologically? How could I delude myself to a degree where I was able to be convinced that hurting you in this way was passible?

I find some solace in the fact that in dealing with this, in this way, that I'm already stronger than most would give me credit for. I am purposely refusing myself the opportunity to hide, and to not acknowledge my actions. I am not canceling all my social-networking subscriptions. I will not hide. I genuinely want to change, to right the wrongs I've created, and move on with my life in a deterministic way. I have to do this. Both for you, and myself. These are first steps...

I am so interminably sorry, Meghan.

I have to try to work now...

Meghan Newell said...

that's all I need. For you to own up. Let's move on.