Couples

If you were asked, which part of your partner's physical body do you value the most, what would you say?

To tell you the truth, I was surprised by the results culled from this survey in FHM a while back (not that I read the thing, it was just that my friends mentioned it). I guess it's some basic wiring in our brains (men, at least) that makes us think in ways we cannot understand, for how else will you explain that over 60% of those polled valued fats (in very strategic areas, at least) over brains?

Because, in essence, a relationship between two people is intangible, right? A meeting of minds, a mutual understanding, that sort of thing. If you really loved someone, all you would require to keep things going is just the brains - all of the person's personality, eccentricities, inclinations, are all in essence encapsulated in the brain. In theory, if you really loved a person for who that person is, you could transfer his/her brain to any other human being, ugly or beautiful, and still love him/her, right?

At least, that's the moral in Beauty and the Beast.

The thing that leaves me scratching my head though, is the question of how much physical presence matters, and why. Why is it important for human beings to be in physical contact with each other? Does logic not dictate that as long as two people keep communicating, it doesn't matter if they don't actually see each other?

Now, do think about that last one. When was the last time you saw a couple who were not spending enough physical time with each other, work out?

Good. We have now established that relationships require a certain element of physical togetherness to succeed. Oh come on, all those detractors to this theory of mine, let's see you marry your pen-pals from some nether corner of the world ya? Yeah, you could even have your kids by post. Certainly brings new meaning to the term postal delivery.

The interesting bit only starts here. If you acknowledge that your partner's physical presence is important to you, then how much is enough? Is seeing your partner, but never holding your partner physically, sufficient?

I find this little debate interesting, precisely because it is so confusing. I've long noticed how new couples usually spend a significant amount of time working out just how often they need to see each other - frequently, Partner A would be wanting to see more and more of the other, while Partner B gets sick if they meet too often. Different people just have way different perspectives, I guess.

Its really a human phenomenon that's never seen the light of cinema. Imagine the movie Troy. A guy goes to extreme lengths just to recover posession of this babe Helen, only after it's all said and done, he realises he's bored with her company and goes off to play golf.

You think something like this can be resolved with time? Haha, pop this debate to your parents over dinner, and watch old, unresolved issues crawl out of the woodwork as they try to explain their disparate, differing perspectives. Trust me, it's good for a laugh. =)