Crumbing our way through
Breadcrumbing is one of the latest fads in the dating world or relationships.
Breadcrumbing is a dating behaviour where someone gives just enough attention or affection to keep another person interested without any intention of pursuing a real relationship. This is what Claude.ai tells me the word means. She is my go-to nowadays. Because of this prevalent crumbing, I have the most consistent relationship with her.
Although it’s taunted as a dating behaviour, it can be for any relationship. I tend to muse about some recent encounters.
This crumbling is an energy-drain activity which most of us indulge in. How difficult is it to say, “Let’s just part” and see what happens next? A break may help the involved parties find perspective rather than hang around. I had clung on and realised that it’s more draining than nurturing in friendships. But admitting so to the other is a task when the friendship in question is a long association. One thing that comes the way is that some of these associations are maintained out of habit but are not enjoyable anymore. In the associated time, I believe that each individual is growing and may not be at pace with the others. So this can lead to many ideological differences, leading to more profound disconnect than others. To keep up, if you need to ping and get or give a “thumbs up” as a response, it isn’t a good habit to continue.
Another thought that deters us from bidding that goodbye, at least for some time being, is the inevitable “what if?” What if I don’t find a friend who can associate likewise, as we used to? If the intention with which you are associated is no longer relevant or the association creates more differences than synchronicity, it isn’t worth it to cling on.
Somehow, these friendships turn out to be “low-power mode.” The act of keeping people just close enough but never truly engaged: Do we really need it?
