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CNN runs a piece on non-monogamy: Open relationships go mainstream
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Yesterday, CNN.com ran a piece called Mate debate: Is monogamy realistic? 
I am excited about the fact that mainstream online publications such as CNN and AOL and others are finally addressing this issue. It's about time that people became aware of the prevalence of infidelity and the steps that some couples are taking to circumvent cheating, by making consensual and ethical decisions to be open and honest with one another. In some cases that might mean adopting an open relationship. In other's it might just mean being communicative about their feelings regarding monogamy.
Because in this age of social media filtering into every aspect of our lives, creating an always-on, powered-up, easily-accessible breeding ground for cheating, it has become important to consider the alternatives. Or at the very least, talk about them.
Because some experts are saying that monogamy is not an inherent trait. Could our biology play into our decisions to go against the current social norm of mating for life?
The CNN article quotes psychiatrist Judith Eve Lipton as saying "It's realistic that some people can mate for life in the same sense that some people can play the Beethoven violin concerto or other people can ice-skate beautifully or learn a new language,"
To which her husband, evolutionary biologist David Barash, added "It's within the realm of human potential, but it's not easy."
And I tend to agree with these two, who are the co-authors of The Myth of Monogamy. It is indeed possible to remain monogamous. It is a choice, after all. But, like many life-altering choices (which we must admit monogamy is,) the ramifications of those choices, as well as the execution of them, are not necessarily a cake-walk.
But is a non-monogamous relationship easier than monogamy? I think that depends on who you talk to. It is my experience that non-monogamy is not necessarily easier, but that there are pros and cons associated with each which may play into the ease or difficulty of certain aspects of it.
And that is what I will discuss next time. So stay tuned for more close-up examination of open relationships.
To read the entire article, Mate debate: Is monogamy realistic, on CNN, go here.
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