"Safety in a relationship? Nobody gets that.."
Leigh at the end of her trial in "Roe vs Wade: The Musical" - Boston Legal, Season 4, Episode 12

This is one of those poignant moments on screen that's meant to strike a cord. It did make me think and come to a brief realization that romantic relationships are never safe; thats what makes a good one so intoxicating.

In every worthwhile relationship there's that undeniable element of risk. You risk your feelings, your emotions, your sanity, often quite a bit of cold hard cash and most importantly (to me anyway), time.

I've had some conversations which have made me think, do people stay in relationships because they perceive them to be safe? Do they convince themselves that because they consider the person they're with to be of good character, acceptable aesthetics, and has qualities like a decent job (read: money) and attributes their family and peers would look kindly on, that they should stay in the relationship? Undeniably some amount of affection would develop once you've been with somebody for a significant amount of time, but should you convince yourself that it's "love" because it is convenient and better than the alternative. "Alternative": being single or with someone else that doesn't have all of the above listed qualities (read: money, and attributes their family and peers would look kindly on).

Is it just women that cheat their partners by staying in what they perceive to be a "safe" relationship? Or are both sexes just as guilty?