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Originally Posted by
Atomini
It's nothing against women. It's the concept of a relationship that I have something against. Everyone has their priorities different from other people. In my particular case, I really don't see a relationship as serving anything meaningful to my life. It is really a big gamble with the odds stacked vastly against you. I could expand on what I mean by that, but i'd be typing here all day. In summary, the way I see it for myself is: I place my career at a far higher priority in my life than a romantic relationship, as I have a much closer guarantee of a beneficial outcome and a positive return from placing my time, effort, energy, and money into that than a romantic relationship that for the most part are highly unstable like a house of cards. My career choice unfortunately doesn't leave room for romantic relationships anyhow, so this is another reason why i've become dead-set on this decision.
If you or someone else values a romantic relationship at the top of your priority list, then all the more power to you and that is a decision you chose to make. But I don't see it that way for myself. I know my statements here on this may come off as bitter, but i'm really not looking at it from an emotional perspective (i.e. I am not holding anything against previous ex girlfriends who may have done horrible things and now I am totally against relationships just because of that). I just see it too much of it being far more random, and the odds far less in my favor, than spinning a roulette wheel at the casino. I'm a man of logic, science, probability, and numbers (most people don't think in that manner, especially when it comes to subjects like this where it is almost all on an emotional level)... and in my eyes when I analyze the whole thing in such a way, I just don't see it being a worthy endeavor for me compared to other things I could be doing in my life.
If I focus on school and career... the time, effort, energy, and resources I place into that I have a greater guarantee will yield me desireable returns in my investment later on. With a romantic relationship, you have no solid ground by which to lay these things on, as romantic relationships are reliant almost solely on emotions and feelings between two people. You can invest SO MUCH of your resources into it and it all can collapse like a house of cards (and for some of the most enigmatic reasons) in the end leaving you to wonder what went wrong. Human emotions and feelings are fleeting. Knowledge and career aspirations aren't. You don't get that same risk with more solid endeavors such as school or career aspirations. This is my personal stance on the whole issue, and I believe our society places too much emphases that you need to be in a romantic relationship, you need to have it as a part of your life, and that it is a requirement for success or survival. No it isn't, it is not essential to your survival in basic life, nor in the socio-economic setting. In comparison, an education is very vital. A job is too. So is having a roof over your head. Having no education, no job, or no home is quite a predicament and is a high possibility of putting your life in danger. Having no romantic relationship with a signiciant other will not put your life in danger, it is not a requirement to even be succesfull. An additional thing I didn't mention that really bugs me is how our society seems to also like to tell us that having a girlfriend/boyfriend/romantic relationship is required for happiness, and that you need it to 'complete' yourself. No you don't. Happiness and completeness should be found within yourself, not dependant on someone else in an unnatural and dangerous symbiotic relationship. Can relationships provide happiness? Yes, they sure can. But its not the end-all be-all, you can be very happy without it.
And i've had people ask me things like "but you want to live a lonely life like that?" and similar questions. I understand these are legitemate questions being asked of me by people who have been told by society what to value (in this case, they've been wrongly convinced that you're 'lonely' unless you have a significant other in a romantic relationship). My response to them is: "I am alone, but I am not lonely".
I think the OP should experience more relationships and what not, and then make a decision for himself. Of course, nobody gets to these points without experience in life. I always like to say experience is the greatest teacher but also the most difficult and unforgiving: because she gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards. I haven't been in a romantic relationship in a good 3 years, and with all of this being said, I do enjoy the feeling of being in one and the intense emotional connections with the other person, the feeling of being 'in love', etc. but its not something I am looking for any more, and I can do easily without it.