Monday, November 29, 2004

Boarding Flight 759 To Utopia

In this current social structure, is it possible to love more than one individual? Not talking poligamy as it is practiced by Mormons, and other Fundamentalists, because I feel that this is a system that is abusive to women, and does not provide a satisfactory emotional situation. I'm imagining more than the free-love of the seventies, which was just as open to abuse. cos it's not about sex, it's about the emotional aftershocks. beyond the core couple, this staple that society or genetics has developed, sexual relationships outside of this have consequences on the psyche, in particular, guilt. I'm inclined to believe it is a direct result of the influence of the roman catholic church on western society, particularly noting the concepts of sin, original sin, confession, and forgiveness.

But Why Is It So? Would It Be Better Another Way? Imagine you could have more than one meaningful relationship at the same time. Many people do now, but at a social and emotional cost- they may suffer guilt, be unable to completely involve either partner into many aspects of their live, and end up favouring one partner at the emotional cost of the other. Jelousy, Envy, Spite, many of the darker emotions rise up when a person "cheats" on another. What if society told people that sex wasn't meant to be stuck in the binds of marriage? That you don't have to break up with someone because you've found someone else? these are just questions, becuase i'm not an anthropologist, nor do i have the tenure to develop a proper thesis. I just feel that monogamy has its downsides too, and many of its' positives are negated in a sufficiently supportive community. "Sticking together for the kids" makes little sense when daddy keeps beating mommy with a chair, perpetuating an existence of domestic violence.

Consent is Important. This change in society could only work in a complete rebirth of society, i believe. if there is one example of jelousy, then doubt into the viability of this structural event would occur, and then boom, back to jelousy again.
posted by Keegan at 6:25 pm

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