Quote:
Originally Posted by Willravel
Stress tends to bring out the darker, normally repressed stuff in people.
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Depends on the individuals involved, Will. Not everyone responds the same way to the same stimuli. Although I agree, this applies to the majority of people.
It's nowhere near a desert island, but ktsp's and my recent 35 mile hike over 3 days (carrying 35 lbs each in our packs) in the Icelandic interior was pretty damn stressful--especially when I became a blistered bitch by the last day, and when he became paralyzed while crossing a glacial river while almost pulling me down into the water with him. Yeah, we saw some very different sides of each other, during that experience--but that doesn't mean it caused us to grow apart. As Merleniau said, it added even more to our bond, going through that together--and living to tell about it.
That said, if we're looking at the quiet, consistent (but useless for survival) companionship of a pet, vs. the perhaps problematic, but ultimately extremely useful (both for survival and human presence--even if you start to hate that other person)--yes, I'll take the spouse, hands down. Worst-case scenario: I'd rather survive (even if the experience led to divorce, back on the mainland) than die holding a useless furball.