hi bill your message struck more than a few chords with me i've been doing some musing on the subject[s] for some time janet ------------------------------------------------------------------ purpose re-dux ------------------------------------------------------------------ on 18 Feb 1996 apparently before paragraphs and caps went missing as well as before i learned a tad bit more i wrote: " '.. I long for touch and presence. I mistake sex for love ...' Our society, or at least parts of it, is based on that fallacy. It can be easy to get caught up in the 'sizzle' because it's so flashy, and think it's the be all and end all. Witness MTV, Calvin Klein, et al. Mistaking sex/for/love and love/for/sex is so common. The two can seem to be so bound up in each other, that there's no obvious direction, or process, from one to the other. Sex can be the ultimate expression or result of the purest and most passionate love. But it doesn't work in the other direction. Love is not an expression or result of sex. The process has to be there, and the direction is one way only or it doesn't work, doesn't fulfill the purpose. "I think of my cyber buddy in Spokane, married for 44 years. Three happy sons, happy grandchildren, shining their light, showing their example. He is a sweet, gentle soul. I somehow doubt that there's any lack in their passion. That depth of passion and love has to have a rock solid foundation of trust and commitment. Exactly the qualities that are, or at least have been, shunted to the back of the bus lately, in this our modern and forward thinking world. The 44 years is the purpose - the sizzle is one of the binding ingredients. A layer cake made only with icing - ridiculous idea. The 44 years of loving and caring relationship that nutures and grows an ever widening circle of strong, nurturing and caring individuals. How could mankind go wrong? "Dad again - I hate to sound naive (or cynical), but I think he was one of maybe three Canadian army men who didn't philander in Europe at the end of the war. It was not within his realm of possiblity ..." i now regret the term 'philander' it smacks of judgment i cannot and will not judge anyone "Maya Angelou now comes right out and calls that kind of behaviour 'vulgar'. Old fashioned, but dead on the money ..." ditto re 'vulgar' "The legacy to me, with my inquiring, logic seeking mind, asks, simply - if you've made a commitment, if you've gone to the trouble to make a vow in public, then why are you behaving like this, why forget all about it the minute someone pushes your buttons? Or, if you want to behave like this, why bother making the commitment? ..." ditto re 'forget all about it' and 'why bother' "there's the aspect of original sin and the old testament threats of fire and brimstone. i think jc would have laughed this one out of the ballpark..." and by gum i still think so! "There's also a hint of this bag-of-chemicals body form being inferior, and being used as a cheap thrill holiday excursion - like Japanese business men going off to Bangkok to have sex with children. This doesn't sit well at all - we're supposedly made in the image of God - how can these incredible bodies be here for the purpose of cheap thrills. Been there, done that - scrap that theory ..." a tad judgmental again but i think the uneasiness is well-founded "A High Anglican wedding cermeony that I attended here startled me - when the old guy in the robes gave the two solemn supplicants in front of him strict instructions 'to worship each other with their bodies'. Shook the Presbyterians down to the floor ... including this one. But what a beautiful, and holy thing to do with this gift. And what an obligation attached to it. "You mentioned contrasts. Until you've lived through a hurricane, you can't truly relish the peaceful moderate times. We have the largest single most impactful population group ever in Western society all about to reach these same conclusions (I'm always a year or two ahead of the pack) ..." in re 'the purpose' i was getting close but not quite there i'm pretty sure that learning how to love each other is it simple janet paterson 1999/12/02 ------------------------------------------------------------------ "19991202.html" janet paterson 53 now / 44 dx cd / 43 onset cd / 41 dx pd / 37 onset pd tel: 613 256 8340 url: "http://www.geocities.com/janet313/" email: [log in to unmask] smail: POBox 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada