It is much easier to try to avoid an abusive relationship altogether than to get out of one. Everything from fear of retaliation to feeling helpless can make it extremely difficult for a victim of abuse to sever ties with their abuser. Unemployment, underemployment, codependency, and not wanting the children to suffer (though they probably already are!) can also discourage the victim from just walking away. Even worst, the likelihood of being publicly humiliated or perhaps even murdered by their abuser can simply paralyze the victim.
Such are compelling reasons to do everything within your power to steer clear of an intimate relationship with anyone who is abusive. And doing so must began with you rejecting the oft-unspoken assumption that “it’s a thin line between love and hate.” Not only are love and hate separate and distinct ways of viewing and treating people, but the “line” between these attitudes and approaches to people and relationships is as vast as the universe itself.
