I don’t know. What’s a soul mate? I definitely don’t think there’s only one person in the world that a person can fall in romantic love with. The longer-term, pair bonding sort of love is more a function of shared experiences and consistent support than it is of how special the match is. And even that kind of love isn’t indestructible.
Discussion
Yes, relationships and love need time and shared experiences in order to grow and strengthen the bond. They need to be nurtured and cared for.
When I was younger, I naively believed what fiction told me about love: If two people fell in love intensely enough, the relationship would last until death. I have a different theory about long-term monogamous relationships now. I think they require three things:
1. A normal human conscience.
2. An adult mindset, meaning a habit of taking responsibility for getting what one wants, and the ability to regulate one's emotions.
3. A willingness to support and contribute to the other person's goals, and to shared goals.
Even if all of these conditions are met, the relationship can still end. What do you think?