Some Thoughts on Love

I was strapped for something to write about today, so I went to a quotation site, intending to do a list of quotes and comments. The following quote inspired the diarrhea of the mind that follows, so the list will have to wait for another day.

Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage.
--Ambrose Bierce

I think one of my aversions to marriage is related to the difference between doing something as a hobby, simply because you enjoy it and doing that same thing as a daily job, as a way to earn a living.

Many people have told me, some only half in jest, that because I like having sex with a wide variety of people, that I ought to head out to Nevada where prostitution is legal and get a job with a brothel that caters to female customers and make some money doing something I enjoy.

Though I agree that it would probably be fun for a weekend or so, I'm guessing that once the novelty was gone, it would strip all the fun out of sex and quickly become just another job.

I'm guessing the same would also hold true for other activities I enjoy, such as writing. Those people I know who are published authors who describe the demands of their agents, editors, and publishers make me believe that the business aspect of writing just sucks all the joy out of it.

You bring money, scheduling, and obligation into the picture and often times the enjoyment packs its bags and flees.

With love, I do better when I'm able to give freely without strings, without the baggage of "shoulds" that marriage inevitably brings. For me, if love has to be labeled and structured, then it becomes a cage.

Your mileage may vary of course.