Start Date: September 27, 2009 Finish Date: September 27, 2009

"They are sexually united, to be which is to be married by nature, and to be thus married is to be united by God. This marriage is performed without special mental volition upon the part of either, although the intellect may approve what the affections determine; thus is to say, they marry because they love, and they love because they can neither prevent nor assist it. Suppose after this marriage has continued an indefinite time, the unity between them departs, could they any more prevent it than they can prevent the love? It came without their bidding, may it not also go without their bidding? And if it go, does not the marriage cease, and should any third persons or parties, either as individuals or government, attempt to compel the continuance of a unity wherein none of the elements of the union remain?"

--Victoria C. Woodhull, with Stephen Pearl Andrews, 1871
"And the Truth Shall Make You Free: A Speech on the Principles of Social Freedom," Delivered in Steinway Hall

     The tragic heroes fall -- their strength, that separated them from the rest of humanity, is what brought them crashing to the ground. The Greek Tragedy.

     Every human who has married fills this type of roll. It is their strength, their ambition and willingness to honor and commitment, that completely destroys them. They fulfill their duty, believing themselves to be improved by it, but then their minds slowly reach restlessness.

     They are no longer satisfied by one -- sexually, emotionally, socially, or intellectually. They can no longer develop and improve, they can no longer experience new things; they are stuck, their minds and hearts losing power, as they continue to mutter that they are fulfilling a duty. Yes, their duty was in demonstrating their strength, their willingness to do something they believed would improve them and their lover; but the honor never satisfies the person, and they would choose real intimacy and experience over an artificial and unrealistic existence.

     That is what marriage and monogamy becomes: the same, day-to-day experience, the same interaction with the same person, and the same limitations on activity and life. This is not to say that the lover is a bad person, or that they didn't seek this type of relationship, too. The decay of new emotional and intellectual behavior will, naturally, leave one who is stunted in both of these. It is something that is mutually offensive to the lives of the both, monogamous partners in a relationship.

     In making what they called commitment and dedication, monogamous partners paved the road to their own ruin. They followed their own trail to a life that deadened the senses, burned the desires, and made a prison for the passions.

     But it didn't have to be this way. Each person has a right to form relationships on whatever grounds that they want. As long as we keep our intentions open and honest, it will never lack dedication or commitment. If we did not want to keep one partner, then we will be free to follow whatever passions come to us. It will be the partner's affection, kindness, and warmth that returns a lover, not some artificial relationship based on exclusion.

     These exclusive relationships, called monogamous, tend to be controlling and dominating -- each partner believes to have some kind of duty to themselves, to root out and expose any affair. They will go after any type of indecency that violates the principle of exclusion; they become jealous, suspicious, crude, miserable, and unhappy, destroying themselves by their own principle of exclusion, while hurting someone they love who just needs new experiences.

     Monogamous relationships, from marriage to exclusive dating, has always been a tragedy -- it has always set up these great ambitions that work towards the defeat of the individual.

Punkerslut,

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