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[Vector]

I finally told my mother that I just wasn't interested in sex (and therefore, not in traditional marriage), and she was remarkably chill about it.  Huge relief.

[Mr Space Cat]

I'm surrounded by romantically-inclined people who insist that you're either in a relationship or you're gay. I mean, can't a man just choose to be alone for the sake of being alone and not wanting a girlfriend? Damn it, society.

It doesn't help that countless media outlets push the romantic relationship. TV commercials, TV shows, countless countless countless songs on various forms of the subject, tons upon tons of novels, etc. etc. Whether the media is produced because it sells well or because the people making it also believe it, the massive surrounding of messages both conscious or subconscious push that relationships are "normal" which means that people who pursue such romantic relationships are "normal" and anyone who does otherwise must be "abnormal" and/or "gay", because that's just the way the world is (as depicted via the media, in this case books, television, music, etc)

I assume that this has been a subject of society for years upon years in every society and civilization over the ages, because people are social creatures, scientifically. There's probably those asshole hormones to blame for it too.

...I sound like a crazy ass conspiracy theorist. "It's all them dern left-wing medias, they want to brainwash us into puppets for their crazy ass evil liberal agenda for a new world order where everyone loves one another! It's all a sick conspiracy! Thank God I have my tinfoil hat!"

Personally, my family seems quite laid back on the subject too. My parents don't bug me about it, my friends are neutral on the subject nor do they bug me, occasionally it's been suggested or mentioned in discussions but usually the topic is dropped quickly.

[Korbac]

One person could have a strong friendship that fulfills the same supportive role a romantic relationship does for someone else. And as humans we need those sorts of social bonds, or we're prone to go nutters.

I'm incredibly pleased I've found someone who understands this. Up until very recently, my very close friends (who I have about 5) pretty much took care of all my social reciprocations.

[silverskull39]

I wouldn't say I'm not interested in sex or romantic relationships, but I definitely don't feel the same urgent need for them other people seem to feel. Would I like to meet a nice girl who puts up with my shit, doesn't drive me crazy, and occasionally engages in intimate contact with me? Sure. But I'm not really looking for her, either.

Nor am I particularly interested in marriage, though that's more because I don't really see the point, as I'm an Atheist and don't see any need to prove my love to any god or government. Still haven't broken that one out to the 'rents... that's gonna be an interesting conversation.

I do seem to get most of my emotional support from a close group of friends, though.

[sjm9876]

I wouldn't say I'm not interested in sex or romantic relationships, but I definitely don't feel the same urgent need for them other people seem to feel. Would I like to meet a nice girl who puts up with my shit, doesn't drive me crazy, and occasionally engages in intimate contact with me? Sure. But I'm not really looking for her, either.

Nor am I particularly interested in marriage, though that's more because I don't really see the point, as I'm an Atheist and don't see any need to prove my love to any god or government. Still haven't broken that one out to the 'rents... that's gonna be an interesting conversation.

I do seem to get most of my emotional support from a close group of friends, though.

i can sympathise with this completely.

[GlyphGryph]

One person could have a strong friendship that fulfills the same supportive role a romantic relationship does for someone else. And as humans we need those sorts of social bonds, or we're prone to go nutters.

I'm incredibly pleased I've found someone who understands this. Up until very recently, my very close friends (who I have about 5) pretty much took care of all my social reciprocations.

Unfortunately for me, I find close friendships to be pretty much impossible, outside of a relationship. I just can't do them. I don't understand them, how they work, how they are supposed to happen. I feel, meanwhile, like I need them and should have them and the lack of any ability to do so means I'm missing something important.

So I practically need the relationship I have, because let's be honest - it's all I've got. Neither me or the wife are any good at having close friends. She's basically the only person I feel like I even know, at all, aside from my family. I wish I was capable of maintaining a handful of close friendships, I just don't it's something that could ever happen.

And being alone doesn't work out well for me. I just... don't work well alone. I'm inherently unstable, in and of myself, and I need that relationship as an anchor.

* GlyphGryph shrugs.

Man, now I don't even remember what I was trying to say, hah.

[sjm9876]

One person could have a strong friendship that fulfills the same supportive role a romantic relationship does for someone else. And as humans we need those sorts of social bonds, or we're prone to go nutters.

I'm incredibly pleased I've found someone who understands this. Up until very recently, my very close friends (who I have about 5) pretty much took care of all my social reciprocations.

Unfortunately for me, I find close friendships to be pretty much impossible, outside of a relationship. I just can't do them. I don't understand them, how they work, how they are supposed to happen. I feel, meanwhile, like I need them and should have them and the lack of any ability to do so means I'm missing something important.

So I practically need the relationship I have, because let's be honest - it's all I've got. Neither me or the wife are any good at having close friends. She's basically the only person I feel like I even know, at all, aside from my family. I wish I was capable of maintaining a handful of close friendships, I just don't it's something that could ever happen.

And being alone doesn't work out well for me. I just... don't work well alone. I'm inherently unstable, in and of myself, and I need that relationship as an anchor.

* GlyphGryph shrugs.

Man, now I don't even remember what I was trying to say, hah.

I'm lucky in that I've just fallen in with my close friends. TBH I don't understand them as people at all but they don't mind. It's all a matter of luck tbh.