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shigglyboom -> RE: pressure to find partner - an unfashionable response (7/14/2006 6:16:59 PM)
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There are a lot of invalid assumptions being made in this thread. Like: People who feel pressure are not comfortable alone People who feel pressure have incomplete lives, or are incomplete People who feel pressure make more bad decisions Pressure is generally a factor of age, a biological clock, or societal expectations Pressure is inherently bad I challenge anyone to prove the validity of any of these assumptions. Until then, consider this: I have a very full and pretty durn satisfying life, I'm perfectly comfortable on my own (quite often more comfortable, frankly [;)]) , I don't particularly want kids and have gotten over whatever the neighbors think about my relationship status. Still, for the first time in my life, I feel enormous pressure to find a partner. Why? Simply because I want the best life I can have - that's my nature. Like many here, I've always imposed pressure on myself to achieve that goal - academically and professionally, for example. A few years back I learned what it was like to be in a D/s soulmate relationship, and I realized that for me, that is the very best life. Like heaven. And I want to be in that sort of relationship again desperately. It would be disingenuous to pretend that I don't feel tremendous pressure from that desire and the fact that it's not fulfilled. I'm a sub, for chrissake. The term inherently means being submissive to someone. When that someone's not around, obviously I feel pressure. Does that make me less than whole? Not a whit. It's been said on these boards that a D/s relationship is about taking two halves that are in themselves already whole and making a sum greater than the parts. How does it make me less - "insecure", "codependent", whatever negative adjective - if I'm not content with my life being less than I know it can be? Does it make me make bad decisions? Not particularly. I often do my best work under pressure - it's why I seek out high pressure professional roles. Like anyone else, I make good decisions and bad ones. I'm sure that pattern will continue when I'm in a relationship too. Then again, the responses on this thread so far are disturbing. I recognize it's unfashionable to admit you're lonely, even to yourself, but how can anyone control their response to pressure when they deny that it exists? As to Knight's question whether pressure is necessary, pressure is a great incentive to go outside one's comfort zone, with all the risks and benefits that brings. Most people are creatures of comfort, so a certain amount of pressure can be beneficial in achieving one's goals.
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