... And we all know there are a lot more viewpoints than just these.
I was reading the following article in the Washington Post today when a rather odd thought came over me. Thinking a thought to be odd is rather odd in its own right, at least for me. For I am a firm follower of our Red Queen's famous observation: "sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”.
Anyway, the article set my mind wandering down the path of that great zero sum paradox that parents and children have pondered for ages:
Who is the best person to decide on who someone's ideal life mate should be?
Thoughts appreciated.
Kudos to the best answer
4 comments:
Thoughts
"For I am a firm follower of our Red Queen's famous observation: "sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”."
I fully support your thinking of odd thoughts. And if anyone gives you trouble for it I suggest you take the McCracken defense*:
Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson): "Are you sure this is legal?"
Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray): "I don't know. It's fun though, isn't it?"
*I do not recommend the movie "Kingpin" other than this quote.
So, who is the best judge of life partners? It can't be the parents (unless the kid concurs) because the kid will become an emotional train wreck. And it can't be a "kid" because they haven't had enough life experience to properly analyze themselves or other people.
So I argue that no one have children until they are thirty. They can hook up with people they believe will be their life partners whenever they how and how often they wish. But to bring a new person on to the planet the rest of want to see at least 30 years of thinking under their belt. Of course, my mother was only a 21 y.o. when I was born so you could argue that I'm in no position to judge. But I would argue back that I really enjoy judging ;)
I was talking to a twenty-something programmer a few weeks ago and she said that meeting potential mates is almost completely done through online sites these days. Probably a good idea since it adds mandatory "forced thinking" filters instead of relying on berzerker biochemistry. Hopefully it means fewer incompatible people.
I was going to write an post on "The Assessment of Intent in Others" because its really fascinating. But I think I'll take a week and think (and maybe even research). Of course, any interesting stuff you guys have on the subject.....
You have to see my next post. You just know who I am saving it for ;-)
LOL.
Well... I must say that I am eternally grateful to my mother for having advised me NOT to marry a man who I would probably have had an interesting life with, but... WITH WHOM I would probably NOT have had the kind of life experience I have had with my husband. And she told me that anybody who wanted me to convert before marriage was pushing things a little. And this... from a woman who insisted that my father renounce the Anglican Church to set up shop with her. Paradox, right ?
For me the fundamental idea of setting up with someone is deciding... or at least envisaging who YOU could become with them.
As for not having kids before thirty.... I was a basket case at 33 when I had my first.
And having babies when you're older has some definite disadvantages. Like.. every year adds up when you're running around chasing a toddler or getting up at night to give a bottle or nurse...
And WHO SAYS that those marriages contracted when people are older are going to last any longer than the ones contracted by the younger ones ?
The... STATISTICS ?? lol
My 21 year old son is living with a young woman from the Reunion. From the look of it, this is serious stuff, and I KNOW that SHE wants it to last. (He too, I'm pretty sure..)
I think that most men are DEFINITELY creatures of habit, and that when you hook up with someone, you want it to.. last.
On odd thoughts... I have many many odd thoughts.
The German grandaddy sociologist I was talking about is called Max Weber. He wrote.. The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. (Anyway, Protestantism and Capitalism are in the title.) One excellent Amazon reviewer remarked that one of the only weaknesses in the book lies in Weber's strange silence around.. Judaïsm and the rise of banking in Florence..
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