Brad Womack's 5 Lessons on Making Relationships Work or Not in The Bachelor

Summary: Five lessons on making relationships work or not emerge during Brad Womack's appearances on The Bachelor reality series.

An iconic ceremony associated with the Bachelor tv series is the handing out of long stem red roses; "Rose in Mouth" by rafeejewell, avatar for W.E.T. River Trips in Second Life: rafeejewell, CC BY ND 2.0, via Flickr

Being honest, considering the wider picture, listening and being heard, presuming nothing and remaining romantic are important lessons for successful relationships. All five can be concluded from episodes of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Their truth emerges particularly effectively from Brad Womack's participation as bachelors #11 and #15.

Being honest can be difficult when emotions and expectations run high. But a relationship that changes or dead-ends has to be confronted. The first time around, Brad showed that ending or redefining a relationship needs to be acknowledged and acted upon despite a worldwide audience's disappointments and judgments.

Developing and ending relationships before TV viewers brings up the important lesson of the wider context beyond two people considering love. An old saying goes that a son is a son until he takes a wife, but that a daughter is a daughter all of her life. It validates why family-oriented Brad respected the hometown visits and the input from his brothers, mother and sisters-in-law.

Hearing another's words and receiving the same courtesy in return are fundamental to developing and maintaining relationships. Greek philosophers Simplicius (A.D. 490? - 560?) and Heraclitus (535? - 475 B.C.E.) considered that "Everything flows." Relationships deepen or fracture depending upon how little or how much the communication channels are open. Brad revealed himself to be an excellent communicator and listener since talkers cannot restrict themselves to talking nor listeners to listening if relationships are to be built upon mutual love and respect.

Throughout life, people accumulate preferences. In relationships, attractive appearances and personalities generate impressions that do or do not pan out with time. But the beats of one's passionate heart must not drum out the messages from one's analytical brain. Brad respected both the behavioral and the physical since he admired contestants who focused on interacting with him over criticizing rivals and since he did not begrudge an admonishing slap.

Keeping up the romance can be challenging when individual interests and professional commitments intrude. Romance can be sustained by contact sports and intimate getaways. In fact, it is as romantic to take an afternoon off for sports (not necessarily rappelling or zip-lining) as it is to spend a weekend on a desert island since love can be blind -- but, of course, time, neighbors and the TV audience ain't!

Brad Womack and Emily Maynard, with fans, Austin, Texas, March 16, 2011: Funky Tee, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Long stem red roses: rafeejewell, CC BY ND 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/raftwetjewell/2411485945

Brad Womack and Emily Maynard, with fans, Austin, Texas, March 16, 2011, two days after close of The Bachelor (season 15), Brad's second appearance on the reality television series: Funky Tee, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/35492114@N07/5538243235