raksdeer said:
Squirm...is sex physical expression of love? Is a kiss (on lips, forehead) physical expression of intimacy? Why do people have sex? Just to have fun? or to unite through bodies so that uniting at mental level becomes easier?
People disconnect sex and love and it is impossible to do so. Sue has admitted many times that how can she not feel for Paul. May be because STB is there, Sue has not completely shared herself with Paul. Imagine a scene without STB in picture, and wouldn't Sue have fallen for Paul by now? So, your argument that sex can be completely detached from love is imaginary. As of now what binds Sue to STB is his past and also excitement of what STB is sacrificing for her.
And I also think that you are wrong when you say that the intimacy improves when Sex is taken out of equation. That in my opinion is completely wrong. Sex, too, is a form of intimacy - it's not just individuals rutting in. And, that precisely is the reason that Sue has said that she feels like "Cheating" on Paul. If sex were only physical, she wouldn't have felt that way. After all you work in office for 10-12 hours and remain with your spouse for just 3-4 hours - doesn't mean that you are cheating on him / her.
Rak,
At times that in which I put forth in print are not always read by others with an open mind. I also do my best to refrain from being judgmental on the lifestyle choices of anyone as each individual and couple are distinctively different than anyone else. I have yet to see two couple or for that matter two individuals that respond the same way to the same series of lifestyle conditions/situation that they are presented with.
I am not a professional counselor or psychologist although what I am is a person with first hand experiences and a person with observation experience of couples/individuals that I have known for decades which are also in variations of the lifestyle. What I find interesting by your assertion, is that you use physical sexuality in more general terms when you responded to me about a remark I made to Steve about “Intercourse” specifically. I am not and have never advocated someone to be completely denied physical intimacy although you and I do see physical intimacy in very different ways.
To address your very pointed questions, our viewpoints and basis as to our motivation for having intercourse I would say changes over time as we age and mature. The motivation of someone in their late teens, as well as into our 20’s and 30’s tends to be different than those in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. So I am not going to get into specifics of motivation and for you to be asking it would led me to believe that you are truly limited in your overall view point of sexuality and overall (sexually and non-sexually) intimacy.
It would seem that You and I would disagree that people of both genders can have a healthy sex life without the complication of emotional attachment and for that matter not having the requirement to be in “Love” to enjoy being sexual with another person. Yes some people do require a reasonable connection to enjoy sexual contact while other people do not require any connection to enjoy sexual contact.
As to the current scenario involving Steve, Sue and Paul respectively; you are correct that Steve has mentioned in prior post that Sue has some feelings for Paul which implies a connection (this is something that many woman require for longer term relationships) and is something that should have been expected considering how long the relationship has gone on. While you are inferring that this connection is “love” as a result of “sexual” contact I would say that you are being a bit short sighted as none of us know what the extent of the overall three-way relationship has been outside of what has been shared by Steve through his assorted multiple post on this forum. As I am sure that you know, women and men will engage in sexual contact with a person for the pure pleasure of sexual contact and in many cases do so with people that they would never fall in love with at the level that would lead to a long term relationship such as marriage. You would suggest that if Steve was not in the picture that Sue would have fallen for Paul by now, maybe, maybe not as it was already conveyed on many of Steve’s post that Sue and Paul click when it comes to sexual in many ways although through what I was read Paul is not the type of man that Sue would find as marriage material.
As far as Sue telling Steve that she would like to have that cheating feeling with Steve as opposed to having that feeling with Paul. That is not uncommon for a woman that is exploring this type of adventures, Sue has stated that she wanted to have the feeling that she belongs to Paul sexually which would imply that any sexual contact with Steve would be as the cheating woman in the scenario that Sue has virtually painted. If this is something that the adults within the relationship desires and are open to exploring together, what is so wrong with the approach? Should we on this forum be judgmental of Steve and Sue or for that matter Paul? Over the last two (2) years, Steve and Sue have taken a path that was much different than the path that they had taken in the past. This is new to them and they are both growing from it, both are getting what they expressed they wanted. Reality may not be quite the same as the fantasy that each of them hold and have shared with each other although it is better to try something and no like it then to never try something and regret it for the rest of your lives. I for one applaud Steve and Sue for having being married for as long as they have been, for trying something new as they enter the empty-nester phase of their relationship while many other marriage break up at this stage.
As you have said, you feel that I am completely wrong that when there is a reduction in sexual intimacy that non-sexual intimacy improves; I will tell you that more marriages would last longer if there was MORE emphasis on non-sexual intimacy. I am not saying that we should remove all sexual intimacy from a relationship as sexual intimacy come in many forms. Some of which Steve has expressed in his thread which has been happening. You seem to believe that only sexual intimacy can be hand through bare penetrative intercourse and that is where you are truly closed minded and very short sighted.
You may think I am wrong although that is the great thing about this, we each have our own view points and the only one that truly counts on this specific thread is Steve and Sue’s.
As not to high-jack Steve's thread, if you would like to continue this debate please feel free to PM me.