By now, everyone has written their essays, speculated, and thrown stones at whoever they believed was to blame for the breakup of one of the biggest loveteams in our time. Sure, a lot of us also rolled our eyes at the whole drama, but we shouldn’t be kicking people while they’re down – what they feel, no matter how it may or may not makes sense to us, is valid.

But we can’t just wallow in misery forever, either. It’s time to forge a path forward, and because the breakup has happened and there’s no denying it anymore, all we can do is move on and maybe, just maybe, find the silver lining in the cloud that is the end of KathNiel. Are there any good things to say about this? Actually, yes. 8 things, in fact.

8. It reminds us that we truly don’t know everything there is to know about people

It seems like every waking moment of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla was practically documented either on social media or on camera. Yet now that it’s over, so much news is cropping up – news that, at best, we only speculated could be possible, but never knew for a fact. It only goes to show that sometimes, what we see is not what we get, because there is so much more going on that no amount of cameras, smartphones, and computers can ever really record.

7. It tells us that making things last takes a lot of work

When they were onscreen, KathNiel looked inseparable. It seemed so easy and so effortless for them to exude that aura that together, they were indestructible. And then out comes the truth: that they struggled with it for 11 whole years, and whether or not they stayed together, that struggle was a reality. People often forget that every single thing that lasts was not built overnight. It was built over time, and everyone involved put in overtime to keep it going over time. It’s not easy. It never is. Even when people want to make it seem that it is.

6. Maybe being a stan should not be the core of our personality

Again, there’s nothing wrong with shipping KathNiel. But as people, we are far more than just fodder for a corporate-mandated love team that just so happened to be the real thing for eleven years. When we look at it that way, and when we look at the loveteams that have come and gone over the decades, we really need to take stock of the fact that being known as “the KathNiel guy” or “the KathNiel girl” really limits the full breadth of who we are and who we can be as people.

5. It is a sobering lesson that people have to change, adapt, and grow up

This is far from the end for either of them, clearly. Both of them still have a long career ahead of them if they so desire, and let’s face it – their fans, most of us reading this included, still have lives to live and move on to. Some of us will now cease to be fans. Others will remain so. Every single one of us will change and adapt somehow, contrary to how we think the people we stan should stay the same forever and ever. They can’t, even if they want to. But trust us: very few people would want to.

4. It tells us that we shouldn’t pin our hopes on other people

Imagine thinking that your life’s meaning is defined by how well The Hows Of Us did in the cinemas, even if you had absolutely nothing to do with the making of the movie. Or that the minute your favorite loveteam is no more, your life has no meaning. Or even in the shoes of your idols, that losing your significant other for eleven years means that you’re now worthless. That’s not how life works – and that’s the good news. It helps us keep things in perspective – that we shouldn’t measure our self-worth through others.

3. It’s an obvious hint that the world stops for nobody

As much as we joked about it, the day after the news broke, we all returned to work or school. LeBron James did not take a day off. There’s a good chance only the most progressive of offices would have even allowed a true-blue KathNiel stan a leave over the whole news. That’s because, in the grand scheme of things, life has to go on. And while we’re not here to tell people how they feel about the breakup is wrong or not true, we have to point out that it’s also true that the rest of the world simply doesn’t care enough to wait for us indefinitely – or at all, in the case of people who were never fans.

2. It’s a cautionary tale for people who think being a celebrity is all that

How many people would love to be a celebrity if given the chance? Probably most of us would. But inasmuch as we tend to handwave their problems as “rich people issues,” their issues are every bit as valid – and they might be things none of us who aren’t famous yet are prepared for.

We don’t think much of our privacy because we don’t have to worry about being mobbed while walking in the mall. But if it happens every single time? If we can barely breathe while our fans crowd around us and restrict our ability to even take three steps in any direction? Yeah, we might begin to resent that fame, too.

1. It’s a testament to the fact that OUR relationships are more important

KathNiel may mean so much to their fans, but do you know who KathNiel meant the most to? KathNiel. If we take them at their word and say what they had was real, then all failings aside, their relationship was absolutely important to them. But in turn, OUR relationships should be more important to us.

We’re not here to tell you to ignore your favorite celebrities and stop caring who they date if you don’t want to, but we’re telling you that the important people in your life are the ones you should be prioritizing over whether or not X actor is still dating Y actress. They broke up because they believed they deserved better. Well, YOU deserve better than to play second fiddle to them to YOUR OWN LIFE.

We’ve given enough to our fandoms. Now, let this time be the time for us to look out for us.

How are you coping with the Kathniel breakup? Tell us what you think in the comments!

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