putting words in my mouth. You're right- I am using that word in the wrong way.
Posted By: London Rayne
You said and I quote "We are animals..yes that's what we are." You did NOT say that in all of us lie certain animal instincts, but yes one can certainly see that might be what you "meant" to say.
I presume you're referring to this:
Posted By: SoftlySarah
And I also disagree that
Sex was never intended to be some lustful, meaningless act that one just does for a nut...WE said it was that.
I think as animals- which we are, lest we forget- it is precisely that- first and foremost. Subsequently we humans began ascribing more meaning to it when it became apparent that pregnancy was a consequence, and even more meaning (including the systematic denigration of women) when patriarchal forms of religion and private property appeared on the human timeline.
I did not say we are *only* animals, which I believe is how you took that (otherwise why the rant?). But if we are not animals, London, are we plants? Protozoa? Fungi? We fall into some kingdom. I think you'll agree that out of the six kingdoms of living things on the planet, we belong to the animal kingdom (the others here:
http://www.ric.edu/faculty/ptiskus/six_kingdoms/index.htm ). As such, we cannot deny that certain things are not negotiable, such as the fact that we must ingest food to survive and procreate sexually to continue the species. Those are basic, unavoidable truths and urges.
Yes, as humans, we have evolved enough to develop the option to say no to impulses and other urges- some people starve themselves to death via hunger strikes, and some people vow to remain celibate (interestingly, many non-human animals can and have also committed suicide by starving themselves and refused sex with others long term). It's not the norm. And as animals who procreate sexually, I argue that this urge is so ingrained that *most* people give in to it. You don't disagree:
Posted By: London Rayne
I know full well more people feel the way you do about sex and marriage than how I do...
Homo Sapiens is what we animals are called, and we've been on the planet for about 195 thousand years (give or take a few thou:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/uou-toh021105.php). Love and marriage have only come together in the 18th century (
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200505/marriage-history). That means that for 193,300 years, give or take, sex has been pretty much all about "some lustful, meaningless act" (in addition to procreation once we cottoned on to that correlation). Even with the expectation of love in marriage, the expectation of both partners' fidelity is pretty modern. "1840, England: Virgin lace—Queen Victoria starts a trend by wearing virginal white, instead of the traditional jeweled wedding gown. Historically thought of as the lustier sex, women are now considered chaste and pure. As a result, many men find it easier to have sex with prostitutes than with their virtuous wives."
Previous to the 1800s, (i.e., Greek, Roman, and biblical times) when adultery was considered a "sin" or a "crime" it was usually only when one of the involved parties was a woman. This was primarily due to the fact that men wanted to be sure they were the ones who fathered a child before being expected to feed and raise it. If a married man was discovered to have cheated with an unmarried woman, you'll have a difficult time finding any evidence that he was punished (except by his wife, that is. lol!).
Posted By: London Rayne
You said that people either do cheat or want to cheat, and the rest of earth is somehow deluding themselves to believe otherwise.
I said:
Posted By: SoftlySarah
I think more people either cheat or want to cheat (which can cause tensions and put strains on a relationship) than feel the way you do...
Once again, you agree:
Posted By: London Rayne
I know full well more people feel the way you do about sex and marriage than how I do...
I said:
Posted By: SoftlySarah
But seriously, how many STDs result from a relationship in which one negative partner presumes her (unknowingly) positive partner is truly being faithful? Half of SA is dying due to that misconception (or willful personal delusion).
Here is a break-down of that sentence: people in relationships cheat on their partners. Many times they are not caught. If this happens, the cheating partner can give the faithful partner a disease.
To assume that someone will never cheat on you is deluding yourself. You don't know what a person is capable of in the future. Heck, THEY don't even know! To hope they won't, and to plan your relationship around that hope, is more realistic. But as is evidenced in SA, many faithful wives and their children are dying of AIDS because a husband they presumed (hoped) would be faithful was not. I am sure many wives have cheated as well, but I believe men in SA have more freedom culturally to cheat than women (see the tradition of Lobola:
http://www.essortment.com/marriage-tradition-africa-lobola-36599.html).Posted By: London Rayne
You also said, "sexual urges are natural and that we can act on them however we want." I am only quoting you.
Please show me where I said that. Please paste the quote rather than paraphrasing it. I think you'll find I never said such a thing in the same sentence. What I did say,
Posted By: SoftlySarah
She believes we are "created" to be a certain way sexually. I don't believe we were created, and I believe we can be however the heck we want sexually.
would be taken out of context placed next to the former statement of sexual urges being natural. It was referring to the fact that I don't believe in some divinely predetermined purpose for our sexual intercourse, differentiating my beliefs and opinions from yours, which (I am inferring) are informed by your religious beliefs.
Posted By: London Rayne
If anyone is projecting what they think and feel on others, it's you. You are the one who assumes we should all feel the same way you do about sex, love, and marriages. You even introduced the word "outsourcing" as a solution lol. Talk about cold and clinical.
I never said I assume all should feel the way I do. But I did say *most* people either will cheat or will want to cheat (whether or not they act on it). An urge is a desire, even if it is not consummated. If that desire is nurtured, it can become a source of tension, especially when a partner is not engaging sexually with the partner that had the initial urge (which I would argue was only nurtured in many cases because of the lack of sex).
Cold? Clinical? No- I would call it practical. Wouldn't you say that practicality might be necessary given that "more people feel the way [I] do about sex and marriage than how [you] do"?