We live in a world where it’s becoming harder and harder to hold onto the idea of finding love and ending up with ‘The One’. This loss of hope is making people lose their belief in the whole system of monogamy as well as marriage. So, people have decided to move towards the sphere of non-monogamy. Having multiple partners is honestly not a novel idea. It’s been around for a very long time.
Non-monogamy dates all the way back to B.C.E. times, but it’s been reincarnated in different ways over the centuries. The ancient Greeks were believed to have desired everything and everyone. They enjoyed ethical and glorious sex lives. Ancient Mesopotamia and Assyria cultures were also vividly polyamorous in nature. There are various other cultures that still choose to follow such a pattern.
But even beyond cultures, people have lately, been choosing to follow ethical non-monogamy in their relationships. This seems to be increasing profusely lately. But, what is this concept?
What Is Ethical Non-Monogamy?
Monogamy as a concept is pretty direct and straightforward. I mean, it’s all about two people choosing to commit to each other, entirely. This includes love as well as sex, of course. But lately, people seem to be getting over this concept and moving towards non-monogamy.
Ethical Non-Monogamy or ENM is a very simple concept. The whole idea is to give up on monogamy and convert to the practice of having multiple sexual and/or romantic partners and relationships. But the ethical part involves consent. Such relationships occur with the knowledge and agreement of all partners involved.
Modern couples choose to bend these rules to suit their needs, of course. A lot of couples have chosen to remain romantically involved with each other while continuously sexually exploring with other partners. Meanwhile, some couples choose to explore both, romantically as well as sexually while of course, sharing tidbits with each other, along the way.
Why Are So Many People Choosing To Follow Ethical Non-Monogamy?
While this idea has turned into a place of relief and sanctuary for the couples that felt stuck in monogamy or just felt like the idea of monogamy was too restrictive to meet their needs, greed and desires. It also seems to have another side.
With a lot of people choosing to follow ethical non-monogamy, it has undoubtedly, turned into a trend. Even the couples who don’t actually believe in the idea of non-monogamy, have been choosing to experiment with it, just to follow in the footsteps of this trend. This can have a lot of effects on their relationship as a whole including giving birth to toxic relationships laced with greed and jealousy which of course, is the path to romantic hell.
So, ignoring the needs of others or ignoring, ghosting or just mistreating each other is a big no in ENM because of course, that wouldn’t be ethical. What we need to make sure everything remains ethical is steadfast and trust-worthy rules that can create a sense of security and keep the relationship healthy, fun and ethically open.
Although these rules differ on the basis of every relationship, there are some things that can remain constant including the value of romance i.e. whether both partners are allowed to be romantically involved with various partners, the degree of discussion about these other relationships with partners, the level of consent involved in the relationships and of course, the ability to veto each other’s partners etc.
Also Read: Polyamory And Open Relationships Aren’t So Uncommon, Reveals Study. It’s A Matter Of Preference
Ethical Non-Monogamy must be converted into a choice instead of a trend that is slowly turning into a fad or a right of passage for modern relationships. It’s necessary to understand that this might not be for everyone and therefore, let’s drop the layer of pressure attached to modern relationships, after all, it’s your relationship, you should be the only one to choose, right?
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