BeyondCharm said:
Love requires mutual respect? How existential of you to say that.
First of all, I never mentioned
mutual respect. I did speak about the female need to respect a man in order to love him and also the element of hero worship in a woman's love for her Man.
Your statement above, along with the one below, leaves me confused as to how you could consider me an existentialist. Perhaps you may want to read a bit about existentialism before making such a claim:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism
BeyondCharm said:
Perhaps some form of "rational" love requires relational choices/judgements that are approval worthy, but that has no assurance that any vital emotional response will occur.
Not
approval worthy - but
respectable and trustworthy - yes. As the man, he is supposed to be leading the relationship. If he is leading a troubled relationship into a dynamic that minimizes the situtional dynamics he is presenting her with, how can she trust his leadership?
Regarding rationality and love: we love a person who represents and manifests our highest values. Romantic love is an identifying of one's highest ideals and values in the life form of another.
We do not love those who we believe are beneath us. We may have contempt for them, compassion for them, pity for them, want to save them, convert them, want to change them - a codependancy of sorts as the OP mentioned. However, we do not
love them for who they
actually are. We love people
in spite of their shortcomings - not
because of them.
Mature, healthy, romantic love stems from a recognition that the other is worthy of receiving us.
BeyondCharm said:
And your comment about a woman feeling genuine respect for a man requiring him to display good judgement... good judgement according to whom? Her?
Quite honestly, yes. According to her - she needs to know she chose wisely - and she needs to know it ALL the time. You may not like this about women - but it is just the way we are. If she knows you are exercising poor judgement, she will feel the need to take over the leadership of the relationship - which will make her tap into her masculine resources and she
will resent you for it.
Additionally, it will neuter her overall genuine sexual desire for you - she may have sex with you out of fear, competition anxiety, or general maintenance to hold you in line and to keep you passive so she can lead - but genuine love, desire and respect will not be there. It just can't be - we as women just aren't wired that way.
BeyondCharm said:
That's exactly the kind of subjective nonsense that guys get caught up worrying about, "trying to please their partner bydisplaying the good judgement that their partner wants to see."
It is not subjective nonsense. It would seem you are proposing a dynamic more aligned to a child rebelling against a parent by witholding his compliance of "proper" behavior. Children may act out of spite and often rebel against their parents. Displaying acts of rebellion positions one as a child in relation to a parent, rather than a mature Man leading his Woman. Just something to consider.
BeyondCharm said:
In my opinion, good judgement is supporting your family through hard work and paying the bills, showing love and affection to the children, getting your oil changed every so-many-miles according to your cars service manual...
What you describe here is not offering a woman anything a million other guys aren't offering as well - nor is it anything she can not provision for herself without you. These things are
only special if they are offered by a Man she respects and loves... otherwise you are just a guy like any other guy offering the same old stuff.
The fact is, good judgement is one of the key qualities that separates the Men from the boys. Good judgement is a trait of a masculine man - it is a leadership skill that inspires respect and the desire to yield. Women need to be able to surrender/yield to their men in order to consider the relationship fulfilling.
BeyondCharm said:
It is not the same as "Dont go to a pilates class with other women because it might make your wife jealous."
I agree that being the only man with a group of female co-workers and going with them to a mall where you approach women you do not know and talk to them about their breasts is not the same as going to a pilates class - (although I would wonder at the motive behind a married man participating in yet another female-identified activity).
BeyondCharm said:
Your rationality is from way left field.
Hmmm.... well, if I follow your line of reasoning, I would deduce that you would believe it a solid rational relational choice for the OP's wife to be with a group of her male co-workers at a gym, to approach weightlifting men about penile cancer, and talk to them about their penis.
It would also follow that with what you are presenting as rational, that whether or not the respects her choice in doing that, it would be completely irrelevant to his level of love, respect, and yes - attraction for her.
BeyondCharm, from a logical perspective this above deduction is what you presented as a rational relational frame for the OP's marriage. Was that your intention?