Impetuous1

Maybe I missed it, but is this you're theory?

I never believed in The One. It's just something that is fed to silly little girls in Disney movies. Relationships of any kind take work. Nothing that is good is completely effortless. If it is, then usually someone is holding something back. But, that's just my experience.

We've developed monogamy by choice since it helps control the discord that can result from having multiple mates. The bitter jealousy and rivalries that can wreck societies are avoided in this way. I once read an article on the Old West that stated that part of the reason for the lawlessness is that there were no marriageable women at the time. Most of the women out in the Western US in the 1800's were prostitutes. Men did not feel the need to make a stable society when there was no one to protect but themselves. Women were later trucked in from the east coast and were married off. What was the result of this? Men now had their wives to protect from other "suitors" and children that would carry on their legacy. They developed property that they wanted to pass onto their children and established law to keep the peace. Monogamy is a civilizing force. It's not backwards to be better than a preprogrammed animal.

Also I believe that having monogamy as a standard in a society enables equality for women. Look at the societies where monogamy is not the norm. How many of them are part of what we consider civilized nations? Look at the Mormons in Colorado City, Utah. They had polygamous marriages and some of the women there weren't so happy. They were married off at 14 or younger sometimes and often many of them had been sexually abused. Why? Because often civilizations that favor a polygamous view of relationships are not considering the female view point. Women are treated as chattel.

I realize that my statements are oversimplified but hopefully you get the picture.