I believe that once a relationship is officially over and everyone involved is single, there should be no off-limits rules regarding who people choose to spend time with. We are all adults. If two people are no longer together, they don't own each other's future romantic prospects or social circles. When a breakup happens, the claim on a person ends. Holding onto resentment or trying to dictate who a former partner or a mutual friend can see is a form of control that isn't healthy. If I'm single and someone else is single, our connection should be evaluated on its own merits, not based on a past chapter that has already closed. People deserve to move on without being vilified or harassed for simply living their lives. Life is too short to let unwritten rules of social etiquette prevent genuine connections from forming, especially when no vows or commitments are being broken. We need to stop policing the dating lives of single people and focus on our own happiness. If everyone is single, no one is doing anything wrong.
Being technically single isn't a free pass to ignore the feelings of the people you care about. Friendship is built on loyalty and a certain level of unspoken respect. If you value a friend, you don't go after their ex-partner, regardless of how long they've been broken up. It creates an incredibly awkward and painful dynamic for everyone in the social circle. There are billions of people in the world; choosing the one person who has a significant history with a close friend feels like a deliberate lack of consideration. It is not about owning a person; it is about honoring the history and the emotional well-being of your friends. When you jump into a situation like that, you are effectively saying that your immediate desire is more important than the long-term stability of your friendship group. True character is shown in the choices we make when we are free to do whatever we want. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, and respecting those boundaries is what keeps a community or a group of friends together.