The term soul mates is usually used to discuss the idea that each person has a single unique potential match out in the world that would be an ideal fit for them. I don't know if that is true, but it is a possibility, that wouldn't conflict with my experience or beliefs. I believe in an all-powerful God, so if there was a single ideal potential mate for me, I trust that God would bring us together. I also believe in free will, so the possibility would still exist to botch that relationship once we had met.
Regardless of the larger philosophical question, I saw an interesting simple image on Facebook the other day that makes a great illustration of a number of ideals in a relationship. It is simply a picture of two shoes, with the caption "soul mates."
I am a big believer in the idea that having a lot in common is an important aspect to a successful serious relationship. But having things in common doesn't necessarily make you the same. Males and females have a host of fundamental differences from one another, which are common to their gender. In a similar way, shoes have a left and a right. If you took 100 pairs of shoes, and combined all of the lefts in one bin, and the rights in another, all of the shoes in one bin would be very different from each other, but still have the same basic shape. Each shoe would have a potential match in the other bin. That match would not be identical, but they would have a lot in common. If you took them apart, there might not be a single piece of source material that was identical, but many of them the foundational ones would be congruent. And in their finished form, it would be fairly obvious that they were meant to go together.
There is nothing to prevent you from wearing two different types of shoes at the same time, but it will probably look strange, and it may be uncomfortable. Shoes have many different potential characteristics, and are suitable for different tasks and roles. While it could be claimed that having a waterproof boot on one foot and sandal on the other would prepare the wearer for success in two types of situations, in reality it is preparing them for neither. In a situation well suited to one, the other would be completely out of place. When using a matched set, the strengths of both shoes can be utilized at once, if worn in their appropriate role.
Shoes can also be of similar styles, but of different sizes. While they look very similar, when paired together, one would be much tighter and constricting than the other. While they might look normal and matched at first glance, they will soon become uncomfortable if worn together. It will be harder to walk straight, and the shoes will wear down differently, one not lasting as long as the other. In the long term, those differences could stunt the growth of one leg or the other.
In the same way, there are many different types of people out there, and it would be ideal to be matched with one whom is similar, and if possible, congruent in their personality and beliefs. That doesn't mean that they will be absolutely identical, since like left and right shoes, there are fundamental differences between males and females, and they are not interchangeable. But it is possible for them to have many features and characteristics in common, which will lead them to be a more functional match.
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