Below is another letter written for an upcoming Neostriker story. Please share your thoughts in terms of content, writing, and readability.
N. D. Moharo
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My beloved children,
There comes a time in our lives where we become desperate for love. Quite typically, this occurs during our time from adolescence through middle-age. While I often write that you do not need romance to be happy, I am certain you will seek romance to find that love. There is nothing wrong with that, but I therefore want to prepare you for the vulnerabilities that come with that, particularly the rhetoric of love.
Love is one of the most complex things in the world and is also heavily prone to manipulation. We often desire love so much that we willingly are manipulated. While some people simply want to test our love for assurance, there is real danger when anyone tries to take advantage of out desire for love. Whenever someone tries to test your love, that is a warning sign that their love for you is not true. I say warning because it can also be an indication that someone was deeply hurt. In this case, even if they are unable to love as a result of that scar, I would be proud of you could help them heal without compromising your own virtue and safety.
There was a TV show I saw where the lead's daughter was manipulated into getting in a boy's van through the allure of love and other emotional tactics. While the boy did not give any hints of malicious intents, it was a trap. I bring this example up not only because it was the prompt for this letter, but it's a good example of how manipulation can work and why you should be careful even if you cannot detect malice.
Let's consider the factors. Already against the girl acting responsibly were the physical attraction to the boy and desire for love; she wanted to be with him. Then there was peer pressure of her friend saying she was not leaving. Then when she brought up her mother was worried, there was a challenge to her "independence" or "maturity" as a grown up. Then when hinting she would still go home is the challenge, "Don't you want to be with me?" coming again to love, but calling upon her "good nature" of loving. Notice that these are very emotional tricks, which distracted her from recognizing the danger of being trapped in a boy's van. Lastly, after placing so much emotional focus, they propose the compromise that they will take her home themselves. Result: she went with them, learned she was tricked and trapped, and her friend died in their attempt to escape.
I hope that example serves well enough to not only be careful with manipulation with love, but emotional manipulation in general. I originally planned for this letter to be more broad, but I realized focusing on love in particular would make it easier to understand.
I want you to be aware of when you might be manipulated so that you can make a better decision. One guiding principle for distinguishing the good from the bad is of the action is good and the motivations are good. However, even if the motivations of the manipulator are not good, that does not mean the course of action is bad, but you should implement more scrutiny.
Again, while I know you are likely to search for love through romance, I want you to know one thing. Your mother and I love you so much.
With love,
Your father
