Not Who - But What We Have Become
As children growing into adulthood, we watch how our parents, act, react, intertwine around most, if not all of life's intrinsic ways. We see, hear, and feel their failures and their successes. And when we get to a certain age, we invariably say, "If I ever have kids,. I'll know what not to do and make sure they have a better life than I did."
So, in those formative years we take away wisdom, setbacks, heartaches, failures, and of course, success.
Time travels onward, we meet, greet, and perhaps we think we fell in love a million times before the right one comes along. The knot is tied, a new family begun, and the trials and tribulations begin anew.
Monogamy is something we were instinctively taught. In my day, the "H" word was never mentioned. It never existed in my parents eyes. The "H" word never came up until I was in the eighth grade and this came from a group of finger-pointing, laughing boys, talking about how so and so is queer for someone's gear. The "H" word: homosexual.
It was then I learned that man and woman weren't the only species to hold title to the word monogamy, and of course this reigns great truth in today's society. Gay marriages abound, interracial marriages as well, and then there are couples who choose to remain single, yet live together, and still yet, have relationships outside that same union but still reside together under one roof.
Monogamy will be around for a long time although it is slowly dying. More divorces in recent years, and a hell of a lot of Motel 6 bedrooms being used out of state for that "all important board meeting, honey." (That statement isn't just used by men alone.)
It's a rare thing to hear of married couples celebrating their 20th, yet alone their 50th wedding anniversary. One such rarity comes to mind: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, have been married since 1946. Come July 7th ... count ’em people, but it'll be 75 years. Maybe people need to take a page from their marriage to help guide and strengthen their own.
As for myself, I trust no word that starts with Mono.