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so we don't just procreate, eh?
[in the culture i live in, at the time i am living in it, relationships are quantified based on a variety of criteria including: level of physical activity, shared ancestry, shared DNA, amount of time spent together, as well as many other quantifiable indicators.]

"intimate relationships", for folks born into the generation I was, are often initiated and perpetuated/bolstered through a variety of forms of sexual activity. all of mine have been. i recently discussed this point with a good friend, and we came to the conclusion that he simply didn't like this story, but could not deny it. all of the people either of us have been acquainted with, on a level which facilitated conversations concerning their relationships and sexual activities, fit into this generalization. clearly there are exceptions to this umbrella statement, but i am concerned only with the trend of a majority population of the generation.
as physical or intellectual attraction is the genesis of most "intimate relationships" it seems plausible that a more physical manifestation of that attraction would be the next-first-step. "the glue that bonds us" one might say. so what happens when the glue is gone?

in my parents generation, and even more-so those before, there was a hyper-real picture of what a person's life is supposed to become. the "american dream" if you will. much of the hyper-real (or fantasy driven) value system attached to this "dream" was rooted in patriarchal-monotheistic religious sets of values (coupled with a genuine fear of procreation). previous cultures created their "family" unit of social integration by means of arranged marriage, polygamous, polyamorous and endless other forms of "relationship" creating styles, as a means of integrating "families" and continuing the homo-sapien species. as our society is becoming increasingly secular (if only on the surface and outside of major politics) those values are of slowly declining importance. however, religion is only one of several factors affecting the shift in the paradigms concerning relationship building (nearly all of these factors were based on power, dominance, and control). possibly of greater importance is the advent of the incredibly magical cure, birth control. blessed is thy name! birth control saves lives! where the hell is the male version already?

so what happens when the glue is gone? if the relationship is bonded by sex, the sex is lacking, time for new sex? who knows? time for the relinquishment of monogamous controls and restrictions? possibly. time to find sex some place else while you find a new bonding agent for the relationship which was entirely based on sex from its inception? possibly. time to stop making a connection between sex and love? shouldn't that notion have come first? was the reason for attaching emotions to sex because it traditionally would have created a child and eventually a family? very possibly. do we have sex to create children and families in this generation?

postscript: i realize that there is a great deal of historical-context and fact missing from this little blog, but i feel that my million-strong reader base is intelligent and has no desire to read what they already know. furthermore, this rant is only mine. everyone deserves a place where they can feel confident.