As it's the norm with human life that we live, it takes all kinds of people in making this an interesting crazy world. Good and bad people make up our world and it's only through self awareness that will help us navigate our life gracefully. Manipulation is one of the many ways that we used to survive for better or for worse since when we were kids where sometimes we used to cry in order to obtain favors from our parents. It has then evolved up until adulthood where people have now taken advantage of it and became more devious and crafty in using it to get things done their way, often at our own expense. Therefore, it has become very hard for one to notice manipulative people in our midst due to its very subtle nature. This has made relationships whether its family, friendship or love affairs to be very complex in nature, and we risk living other people's lives and not our own. One of the many ways to spot manipulative people is when their actions contradict with their words. This signifies a red flag in their character as it implies there is something they are hiding from you and that all is not right. It's always best to judge people based on their actions to avoid getting fooled by their words. This will save us from the anger and resentment that comes from being taken advantage of. Manipulative relationships tend to send the feelings of fear, obligation and guilt when we are about to make a decision that may not be to their liking. This is our subconscious mind warning us that all is not well in the relationship as manipulators will sweet-talk,coerce, and bully you into doing what they want and put the blame on you if you by playing the 'victim' card. This is done in order for them to avoid responsibility for their own needs and place them on you. They will blame you for all their problems whether its lack of money or lack of happiness in their lives and by doing this, they don't have to be responsible for their life. Emotional Manipulation is even harder to control when it comes from close family members and spouses as it leaves us helpless and stuck in a rut. However, it is of great importance to know that life is short and in the end we will have to die alone no matter how good or bad the relationships we had were. Therefore, we must set boundaries and 'red lines' in all kinds of relationships we have, as our lives are either enriched or drained depending on the quality of relationships we have, whether we are aware of it or not. The boundaries could involve not having to react to all kinds of events thrown our way and respond to only which we discern are worth our attention and response. Some great deal of emotional maturity is thus needed and having a therapist in helping with some of these issues is not a bad idea to those of us who value the need of self-improvement. We should however not be afraid to end relationships that do not elevate us anymore no matter how close or long they were. We owe ourselves the best kind of human interaction with good people in this difficult life that we live in and like I stated earlier it's only made easier through self awareness!
