People are always saying the way they are in a platonic relationship. But do we really know what kind of relationship it is when using that phrase? Read what we have for you on Love is all colors to find out more…

Platonic definition

What does it mean to love platonically in modern life? Well, the platonic definition is pretty simple. It is a close relationship with no sexual attachment. Apparently, the phrase was coined after the Greek Philosopher, Plato. And to him, platonic love had nothing to do with the lust and the vulgarity most might assume. The way Plato defined this kind of relationship was that it was the kind of love that brought about the better versions of ourselves. It makes us want to better ourselves, inspires us towards pursuing and achieving better goals and it brings us closer to the godly.

In our modern world today, we use the word platonic to refer to the friends only kind of relationships. This is the relationship where you would go out of your way to be there for a person without expecting any sexual favors or having any interest in a romantic or sexual relationship.

Now sometimes there can be some gray area if for instance one party is attracted to the other making this type of relationship a bit blurry. So in such a case, it is a non platonic relationship because there are chances that it might develop into something more…

Signs of platonic love

There are a few questions people need to ask themselves when trying to figure out whether a relationship is platonic or the opposite of platonic relationship. And one main one is: Is the person purely a friend or is there more?

Now, unfortunately, most people are never true to themselves when answering this. For instance, a person might really not want any strings attached from the relationship but they might be enjoying the attention that they are getting from the other party who probably might be wishing for more.

Well, if you really want to know, here are some traits to look out for…

Boundaries

Do you respect each other’s boundaries? And in this case, the boundaries are the things you do. This means that whatever you do or say shouldn’t change the status of your relationship. And these boundaries need to be respected by both parties without feeling like it’s a chore.

Some new relationships can become platonic once the boundaries have been established.  This is in the case where one might be wanting more from the other person and the other one puts their foot down by letting the other one know that they want nothing more than just friendship. Now if the other person who has an attraction can move past it, then this can be the beginning of a successful platonic relationship.

The boundaries need to be defined and respected by both parties in the relationship.

Expectations

Whether platonically involved or there is more, we all have expectations. The thing is if you trust and respect someone, its human to expect the same kind of treatment from them. If I am kind to you, it’s normal to expect the same level of kindness in return.

Platonic relationships are quite different though. People don’t really hold such expectations over one another. Basically, there is no kind of commitment, no shared finances or family. So holding over expectations doesn’t make sense. To put it better, you owe each other nothing!

So if you can honestly say that you hold no expectations to each other, then yes, you are platonically involved.

Brutal honesty

When it comes to romantic or sexual relationships, we tend to sugar coat some stuff just because we don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings. We care about them that much and a little white lie not to upset them seems fine. These small lies go a long way to maintain most romantic relationships.

One of the platonic relationship quotes is “WHY LIE?”. The thing is, you really don’t care about the other person leaving. So there is no need for white lies. They have their romantic interests elsewhere and so do you.

Plus, if it so happens that the other person cannot handle the truth, you can always part ways and reconnect once the wounds are healed.

You also don’t have to worry about keeping the peace. You and your platonic relationship partner can part ways for a certain amount of time, and you can come back to it when the wounds have healed. Plus, if they don’t, no loss. It was never that serious!

Can one have a platonic relationship in marriage? Yes. So long as the boundaries are maintained, I don’t see why not. Unfortunately, some people hide under the umbrella of platonic when all they are having is emotional infidelity.

Well, read this article on emotional infidelity.