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RE: What does an atheist...
December 16, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Modern civilisation has failed at it big time. I'm pessimistic about our efforts compared with our ancestors.. I have a good friend who married late.. she had the works a girl dreams of, but seems to have ignored what it's really about, not considering what commitment or compromise would be involved. She wants out already after a few months.
I don't think marriage is necessarily the answer. Commitment is possible outside marriage. I certainly couldn't be happy in an open relationship. I'm just not built that way I think. I do think humans are overwhelmingly monogamous. We crave societal grouping which is increasingly denied in civilisation where there always seems to be mobility towards isolation.
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RE: What does an atheist...
December 16, 2009 at 9:36 pm
fr0d0,
I feel the same way about monogamy but I bet it is due to social programming rather than how I am "built". There is no way to differentiate between the two so I don't really know. Just looking at how marriage seems to progress I would say that it is poorly engineered and have given thought to open relationships. Open relationships would be the way to go IF society was set up that way. As it is I would say that there are too many barriers (Boyfriends of girls I would like to, um, get to know better) to happiness along that path.
I love this sentence, "We crave societal grouping which is increasingly denied in civilisation where there always seems to be mobility towards isolation." I feel it is true and yet enjoy the benefits from my isolation.
Rhizo
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RE: What does an atheist...
December 17, 2009 at 2:24 am
Whatever sacred sentiments were once involved with marriage are long dead and gone. It is evident that marriage in our day and age has lost its meaning. People are getting married any old way these days and don't respect their vows to their partners. There are so many factors that influence a marriage and can lead to unhappiness, infidelity, etc. As a religious rite marriage was a sacred oath that one held before god to their future partner, but now even oaths to god have no meaning.
I personally think that marriage is an insignificant matter these days and although I was married once I would never marry again. Just like religion marriage just doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I have had several open relationships and am comfortable with them since they don't involve all the seriousness or the drama that a marriage entails.