I learned a new word the other day. POLYAMORY. Just by looking at the word I would guess it involves many loves since POLY refers to many and AMORY refers to love.
Polygyny is where a man has many wives while polyandry is where a woman has many husbands. Is it possible for a woman to have multiple husbands?
I guess so in these days especially but wouldn’t this also mean that she would have to conceal the presence of one from the others? That would be quite a feat to accomplish. I find it hard to believe that a man would be willing to share his wife with another, let alone a few other men.
It is a fact a man can be a polygamist without being frowned upon. In truth he would be envied by his brothers. In the past, the number of wives a Chinese man has, indicates his status in society. His wealth & standing are reflected in the number of wives and children he has. My paternal grandfather had 5 wives, many children and so many grandchildren that I do not know who my cousins are. My grandma was wife number 3 who had three children, of whom my dad was the eldest.
Apparently polyamory has evolved and the difference is its open relationships.
A man or a woman can have multiple loving relationships and there is no element of deceit involved. He or she has to be completely honest with her partners and let them know about the other relationships he or she is in.
For instance she may find intellectual stimulation with one guy and sexual gratification with another. She has to let both of them know that. It is said that one party cannot feel possessive about the other but instead, feel happy for her.
Is this really possible? Apparently the Star newspaper has interviewed a few people who are into polyamory and the finding is that it is possible and many people are practicing it. This is not just restricted to men but women are also actively involved.
On the other hand, platonic friendships have been around for a long time. Some will become more than platonic later while others remain at status quo.
However I believe that it is possible to love more than one person at the same time, not only because the people are different and have different qualities/personalities that attract you but also the relationships with those involved fulfill the different needs that you have.
However the more conservative people would not understand but will frown
on such and label you as immoral.Cassanovas and social butterflies or worse. Somehow the women come off worse.
With the younger generation who are more open-minded, I believe that polyamory will become more and more acceptable. It can work provided that there is complete honesty among those involved. There can be no exclusivity.
That said, I wonder human nature being such, if one can really quell feelings of jealousy or sublimate them when someone who matters to you is sharing herself /himself with others and I don’t mean having multiple sexual partners per se.
It could be for companionship, sharing of mutual interests, etc. Human beings tend to be possessive and want exclusive relationships when in love.
I guess when that situation arises, then it is time to opt out and return to monogamy.
The choice is yours to make, be it polygamy ( both polygyny and polyandry), polyamory or monogamy.
No comments:
Post a Comment