DATING
Is Ghosting Someone Ever Justified?
As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Slang changes as often as trends do. New words come and go, even if they just describe actions that people have been doing for years. Take the word ghost for example. And, no, that’s not referring to the scary spirits that may or may not exist.
To ghost another person–if you didn’t know this by now–means to leave them high and dry without warning. It isn’t hard to imagine anyone doing this in previous decades, but the connectivity of modern tech makes this an especially heinous dating crime.
Those who ghost others certainly have their reasons. However, is there ever any good reason for ghosting someone? The short answer to that is . . . yes, as you can see in the reasons detailed below:
Reason 1: When You Fear for Your Safety
As you know, a relationship that starts out well doesn’t always end well. A charming partner may eventually reveal issues that can cause a person to not only doubt their choice, but consider placing considerable distance between them.
This is where justifiable ghosting comes in.
Should you have genuine concerns about your safety in a relationship, it becomes more than just understandable if you would rather ghost a dangerous partner rather than break things off face-to-face. It may even be necessary to do so.
Reason 2: When You’ve Been Catfished
No one likes getting deceived, especially not when they’re trying to find love. Deception comes in many forms, and one of the more unfortunate ones would be when you meet someone for the first time, only to find out that they’re not exactly what you imagined them to be.
This doesn’t just mean a different haircut or looking a bit older compared to how they look in their dating profile photo.
When your date arrives looking like an entirely different person than what they promised or led you to believe, then it’s safe to say you’ve been catfished. It’s also safe to say that you’re free to excuse yourself and run for the hills in yet another entirely justifiable case of ghosting.
Reason 3: When You Have No Other Choice
When you start dating someone, there are only two ways it will play out: you either end up with that person or you two will break up. When it comes to the latter, you may have tried ending it with your partner. The problem is, it never seems to stick.
Or rather, your soon-to-be ex isn’t having any of it.
When one person refuses to accept being broken up with, what do you do? There’s only so many ways you can reject someone before you realize that the only way to really make the break up stick is if you disappear from their lives for good. So, you ghost and finally get that separation you’ve been longing for.
Dealing with relationship dynamics isn’t always a smooth experience, but that’s hardly a reason for ghosting someone. Unless you’re in a situation that falls under any of the three justifiable reasons above, it’s best to have a conversation–however short or to the point it may be–and end things properly.
