Discussion:
Relationships
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Terence Nesbit
2008-08-04 02:05:31 UTC
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I'm not the proper person to speak about relationships. I have been through
some rough patches myself. But I am going to talk about relationships
anyway.

What is a relationship? A relationship is the presence of a man and a woman
in a situation where they agree to see each other exclusively. This is the
only type of relationship that can exist. Any other relationship is one of
friendship, and everyone knows that it is not easy being friends with
someone.
Why does a relationship have to be exclusive? A relationship is based on an
interaction between the two people involved in it. There is a give and a
take. You accept some things, they accept some things, and the two agree on
things for their mutual benefit. There may be certain activities performed
by one or the other, whether this is considered to be fair or construed by
those in particular positions of authority, but that is how it has to be.
When a relationship is not exclusive, people can walk away easily. There is
less of an attachment between the two people. People can also mistake their
emotions in those instances when they do not have anyone else. A
relationship should not be a last resort.
There is a need for exclusivity. There is something called an anticipatory
mental set. That is required for chemistry. But how can exclusivity exist
when you can think of another at almost any time? Your actions and
reactions change. Your needs change when there is less exclusivity. Do you
cling to the kids? Are they the reason to stay together, or not to be alone
together? Are they your out, instead of their being someone else? Or can
you just think of someone, and then you wonder why your "significant other"
is frustrated - which must be reasonable at any rate? Why don't you see a
"connection" between you and some other person when you can think about
someone else? Why can't you think about your partner? Is it because there
is a history, you had that? It makes no sense. Too many people have had
long lasting relationships for none to be that way now.
But this is where we find ourselves as a community of people. It is easy to
cheat, it is easy to disregard love, it is easy to accept just anything (be
that all of the wrong things too, injuries come to mind). But it really
isn't easy. People are depressed, is that because of all of the
relationships pulling them every which way? They are so proud to have
meaningless relationships, but are they really?
There are certain truths that cannot be denied. The worst harlot in the
world started out wanting just one other person, unless that is what she
wanted (there are those that want to do the world but not all harlots are
this way). Everybody has emotional needs as well as physical needs, and
they are best met when both are met together. We can't detach ourselves
from our needs and say we are healthy.

I hope this helps.
Steve Hayes
2008-08-05 03:09:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by Terence Nesbit
I'm not the proper person to speak about relationships. I have been through
some rough patches myself. But I am going to talk about relationships
anyway.
What is a relationship? A relationship is the presence of a man and a woman
in a situation where they agree to see each other exclusively. This is the
only type of relationship that can exist. Any other relationship is one of
friendship, and everyone knows that it is not easy being friends with
someone.
That's a pritty narry definition.

Friendship is also a relationship, and so is the rtelationship between parents
and childfren, bosses and workers, etc.
...
--
The unworthy deacon,
Stephen Methodius Hayes
Contact: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Orthodox mission pages: http://www.orthodoxy.faithweb.com/
Matthew Johnson
2008-08-06 02:00:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Steve Hayes
Post by Terence Nesbit
I'm not the proper person to speak about relationships. I have been through
some rough patches myself. But I am going to talk about relationships
anyway.
What is a relationship? A relationship is the presence of a man and a woman
in a situation where they agree to see each other exclusively. This is the
only type of relationship that can exist. Any other relationship is one of
friendship, and everyone knows that it is not easy being friends with
someone.
That's a pritty narry definition.
Perhaps the English language is not as mutilated in South Africa as it is here
in the States. 'Relationship' became a euphemism for the relationship between a
man and woman, under the excuse that they didn't want to exalt their
relationship with the name 'love'.

This prompted a lot of criticism from pundits such as Alan Bloom (the famous
translator of Plato's Republic), but American society turned a deaf ear to it.
By now, the origin of 'relationship' in this sense as a euphemism has been
forgotten.

[snip]
Steve Hayes
2008-08-07 01:50:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by Matthew Johnson
Post by Steve Hayes
Post by Terence Nesbit
What is a relationship? A relationship is the presence of a man and a woman
in a situation where they agree to see each other exclusively. This is the
only type of relationship that can exist. Any other relationship is one of
friendship, and everyone knows that it is not easy being friends with
someone.
That's a pritty narry definition.
Perhaps the English language is not as mutilated in South Africa as it is here
in the States. 'Relationship' became a euphemism for the relationship between a
man and woman, under the excuse that they didn't want to exalt their
relationship with the name 'love'.
Much the same thing seems to have happened to "significant other" (often
abbreviated to "SO" on the Internet). Originally it was psychological jargon
for the most important person in your life -- in the case of a young child,
the mother, but now seems to be used by many people to mean spouse (or
"spousal equivalent"). No doubt at a certain stage in one's life one's spouse
is one's "significant other", but it's not restricted to that. It refers to
the most important relationship, but there are other relationships as well --
employer-employee, for example. And for an ambitious workoholic, one's boss
might well be one's significant other.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
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