Why people think you're not "complete" without a partner?

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cyberdad
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04 Oct 2024, 2:19 am

I'm talking about perception vs action



Benjamin the Donkey
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04 Oct 2024, 3:57 am

cyberdad wrote:
Benjamin the Donkey wrote:
My sons can choose to be coupled or single or something in between. It's their life, not mine.


Yes but do you want them to be single?. I am sure you would want for them to be in a relationship like you.

No, not if it doesn't suit them. If being autistic has taught me anything, it's that different people have very different needs, goals, and desires. The only things I wish for my sons are for them to be self-sufficient and to be happy in whatever way they prefer.


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Pink Zeppelin
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07 Oct 2024, 10:40 am

I think the origins of this idea go back to the Romanticism movement in the 1800s. Western culture at that time was shifting from arranged marriages to marrying someone out of love, so we pushed the love idea since it was new and a change from the status quo.

You also see this in our attitude towards work. Today your job is supposed to define you, fulfill you, give your life meaning, etc. Before the romantic period, work was not seen that way at all. Work was the curse imposed on us as Adam and Eve were being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. You were not supposed to like it.

With the growth of Nihilism over the past 150 years or so it is not surprising that we are always looking for something to complete us and give us purpose.