Familiarity Breeds Contempt

"familiarity breeds contempt"

Everything is shiny when it's new. A new location, a new toy, a new outfit, a new piece of makeup, a new technology. 

As time passes, we become desensitized to these things. Things lose their luster and become mundane. This is why we seek out stimuli. Going on vacation, buying things, hanging out with friends. Doing anything to break the norm.

I think about applying this concept to relationships. 

Sometimes, when we get familiar with people, we stop seeing them as people. They lose their individuality. This leads us to mistreat them.

I see a lot of people around me that have antagonistic relationships with their family members. I have friends that complain about their siblings, talking about how they get in verbal and physical altercations. 

I don't understand. It doesn't matter if they're your sibling, do you not think about how they're another human with their own life and thoughts? When they talk about fighting with their parents, I think about the sacrifices that generation made to get us the opportunities we have. 

I think this is also a reason romantic relationships go sour. The time after the honeymoon period refers to once partners get familiar with each other and become disillusioned. In the beginning, you're strangers. It's nothing like family. Everything about each other is exciting and new. As time goes on, you become closer and lose that excitement. The other person has to be a compatible fit for the relationship to persist past this. You need something past the surface level that lets you connect. 

Why does this only happen with some relationships? For example, there are some people I never get tired of and others really grind my gears. I don't know; humans are complex.