Which Kind of Life Would You Prefer?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Option 1 without hesitation. I have self-destructive tendencies in a lot of my relationships with other people and am thus probably not a great role model in this regard, but life is going to have difficulties no matter what you do and anything promising ease probably has some sort of moral or other catch so I really can't see the point of choosing Option 2.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Option 1 without hesitation. I have self-destructive tendencies in a lot of my relationships with other people and am thus probably not a great role model in this regard, but life is going to have difficulties no matter what you do and anything promising ease probably has some sort of moral or other catch so I really can't see the point of choosing Option 2.

Have you ever considered the possibility that morality is self-destructive, Nathan?

In this context? No, and you appear to be having some reading comprehension issues relating to what the word 'but' is doing in that sentence. In other contexts? Of course it is, and that's, in the contexts in which it's true, a good thing. Have you ever considered the possibility that rejecting morality is destructive of things far more important than the self?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

...things far more important than the self?

I must confess I cannot conceive of anything more important than myself, Nathan.

And it is precisely in holding that view that you ensure that almost anybody else on the planet is more important and deserving of respect and concern than you are, opebo.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Option 2, it gives you a stronger negotiating position(but not the strongest). The party less invested in the relationship wins it.

I don't think a relationship is something that one is supposed to 'win'.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'll also note that what the 'difficulties' are isn't specified. My mental image was of a kind and loving but persnickety and perhaps irritable person. It honestly seems ridiculous to me to give up true love just because somebody is persnickety and perhaps irritable, but I realize other people may be interpreting the 'difficulties' in different ways.