Opportunity cost

if a person is not happy, though not necessarily unhappy, in a relationship, should he leave the relationship? what if he has been with that girl for quite some time? would the memories be a legitimate claim to staying in the relationship? what if she seems to be the sort that would give him a stable, if bland love life? would that be a legitmate reason to stay in the relationship?

i think not. not least because the person would be depriving himself the chance of finding a relationship that would indeed make him happy, but also because it would be unfair for the girl. since he is not happy in the relationship, i don't think he would be able to make the girl happy. if that is the case, the relationship would, at best, be functional. it would thus be denying the other person an opportunity to have a relationship which would make her happy.

of course, the problem is that ditching one relationship hoping to find a better one involves taking a certain amount of risk.