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this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023
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Men's Liberation
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There have been scientific studies to determine if humans are monogamous or not ... it was inconclusive ... we like to think that we can or should be paired together for life and live happily ever after but in reality, most of us are not.
The majority of my friends get together for a few years and then divorce, separate or live together in a personal hell because they feel they have to.
I have friends in Quebec in Montreal that have been together for 50 years now. They never had children worked as artists and writers their whole lives and pretty much had a free life between themselves. They made an agreement with each other when they started living together that every five years, they would sit down and discuss if they wanted to continue their relationship. They've been doing that ever since.
I do that in a way with my wife every few years ... we also don't have kids ... we just sit down and talk about whether or not we want to continue. It's not done during a crisis, a falling out or when we're angry or out of sorts ... we try to have it when we're clearly thinking of things but it's not easy ... it's not an easy topic to discuss ... which is also why it's important to have. After 28 years, we still choose to be together.
The current assumptions and expectations that society has about monogamy and commitment are insane. The idea that one person should meet all of your social, relationship and sexual needs is insane. Especially for those people who consider being attracted / look at other people / looking at porn to someone else as cheating. Like you don't stop feeling physical attraction or even get crushes if you are committed. You just don't do anything that violate other peoples trust.
The queer communities take on monogamy and commitment that does have any assumptions is really the best method going forward. Not to mention the removal of gender expectations for house work etc. Its exactly like you described it. An on-going discussion about what your commitment means and what is and isn't allowed. It priories the relationship over everything else.
I think one of the biggest issues everyone glosses over is .... we change during our lifetimes.
We are not the same person in our 20s, our 30s, our 40s for all kinds of reasons ... our work, our situations, events in our lives, trauma, biological changes, genetics or just psychological changes. Some people stay the same sexually and stay the same throughout their lives, whether its being straight, bi, gay or anything else ... I know some people who changed over time from being straight, to bi, to gay or to just asexual ... in one way to another. I'm sure everyone know people like this. It's human nature, most people are not born a simple being that stays the same forever, we evolve and change sometimes because we want to, we have to and other times against our will and biology.
So to have an ever changing pair of people living together ... we should not expect them to stay the same forever and want to be together indefinitely.
But the inverse is also true too ... maybe the two 20 year olds accept one another but change when they're 30 ... and now the 30 year olds now accept each other at this age ... and on and on.
Exactly. People and relationships should change and mature. We should also look at different measures of success. A couple of was married for 15 years and then got a divorce but don't hate each other. That is a successful relationship but it didn't last an entire lifetime
I'm single but I'm taking notes, this is good advice...
Always remember to talk through any assumptions or expectations up front. It will save lots of issues in the future
Yup, been with my partner for over a decade. Live together, not married, no kids. Originally there was some talk of marriage, but I've always said that there's no reason to insert the state or the church into our relationship. There's nothing stopping either of us from leaving the relationship if we're not into it any more. It keeps us treating each other with respect, knowing that there's no higher authority telling us we have to stay together until we spend thousands of dollars in paperwork and waiting periods.