It would be nice if our feelings always lined up with what we know is the right thing to do. Life would be so much easier. But that's just not how life is. So we end up in these dilemmas, where our maturity gets tested.

"Having feelings" for somebody seems to now be treated as something sacred . . . something that must be respected . . . and acknowledged . . . and eventually, communicated . . . and, maybe, acted on. People have been "having feelings" since the beginning of time. It's not all that special. Sometimes we have to act contrary to our "feelings." That's what maturity is all about.

Eventually, we often discover that those deep "feelings" were based on an illusion we had about who someone was . . . that ends up not being who they really are.