We've all done the political compass for us...

[JakeStarkey]

Unions do entail many responsibilities and prerequisites that require codification and regulation under law: taxes, medical, inheritance, property, children, so forth, and so on.

Allow anyone to marry as they please privately.

If they wish to register a union subject to law, good for them. If they have children, they should have to register the union.

If that leads to polygamous or polyandrous unions, then so be it.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I don't have a spouse, but I do have a business partner who has some drastically different political views, especially about the military. I have learned to tune him out when he takes off on one of his rants. It helps to be "hard of hearing". I know he tunes me out, too, so I guess we're even. I do find myself sometimes wishing that we could get married so I could file for divorce and split the business property. As it is, he won't buy me out, won't let me buy him out, and he stonewalls all my plans for growing the business because he is absolutely terrified of the risk. Oh, well, this too will pass...

Well.. I certainly do not tune out my fiancee, even when we have a drastic difference in view... but then again, I may be in the minority with this behavior.. LOL

I've tried often enough to discuss things with him. His responses are predictable because he starts just talking over me, or walks away. He's even gotten out of the car at stop lights because I wouldn't come around to his way of thought. In one respect, you might say he's gotten me trained because I will tune him out, walk away, or just shut up rather than spark one of his tantrums. It really is frustrating.
When in a typical amorous relationship, I am more accepting and patient with my partner. That's part of what love is all about. I'm not "in love" with this bozo, I'm in business with him.

 

[BluePhantom]

I've tried often enough to discuss things with him. His responses are predictable because he starts just talking over me, or walks away. He's even gotten out of the car at stop lights because I wouldn't come around to his way of thought. In one respect, you might say he's gotten me trained because I will tune him out, walk away, or just shut up rather than spark one of his tantrums. It really is frustrating.
When in a typical amorous relationship, I am more accepting and patient with my partner. That's part of what love is all about. I'm not "in love" with this bozo, I'm in business with him.

It's interesting as I read this thread and take note of the differences in relationships. For my wife and I what drew us together was that we both loved the conversations we had. We've been together for five years now and still routinely spend hours discussing topics at length. So in a way our relationship was founded on a lot of communication and we became very good friends with a great mutual respect and admiration for each other and how we think before it turned romantic and friendship turned to love. So even when we disagree with passion on a given topic and the discussion gets hot (which does occasionally happen) we still have that underlying respect for each other's thought processes that keeps us from getting insulting with each other.

Now my first wife was a relationship based more upon sexual attraction and romantic fire. We never really became "friends" and intellectual respect was not something that we took time to establish, so when we disagreed there was no holding back when it came to insulting each other for the difference in our opinions. Let me tell you a LOT of damage was done to that marriage as a result.

Reminds me of what my Dad used to say to me: "son, you can love a lot of women in this world but there's only a few you can live with".

 

[gallantwarrior]

I've tried often enough to discuss things with him. His responses are predictable because he starts just talking over me, or walks away. He's even gotten out of the car at stop lights because I wouldn't come around to his way of thought. In one respect, you might say he's gotten me trained because I will tune him out, walk away, or just shut up rather than spark one of his tantrums. It really is frustrating.
When in a typical amorous relationship, I am more accepting and patient with my partner. That's part of what love is all about. I'm not "in love" with this bozo, I'm in business with him.

It's interesting as I read this thread and take note of the differences in relationships. For my wife and I what drew us together was that we both loved the conversations we had. We've been together for five years now and still routinely spend hours discussing topics at length. So in a way our relationship was founded on a lot of communication and we became very good friends with a great mutual respect and admiration for each other and how we think before it turned romantic and friendship turned to love. So even when we disagree with passion on a given topic and the discussion gets hot (which does occasionally happen) we still have that underlying respect for each other's thought processes that keeps us from getting insulting with each other.

Now my first wife was a relationship based more upon sexual attraction and romantic fire. We never really became "friends" and intellectual respect was not something that we took time to establish, so when we disagreed there was no holding back when it came to insulting each other for the difference in our opinions. Let me tell you a LOT of damage was done to that marriage as a result.

Reminds me of what my Dad used to say to me: "son, you can love a lot of women in this world but there's only a few you can live with".

I respect my business partner for his strengths, which has probably contributed to holding the business together. He can be very single-minded and will work on a project until it is done. He has no head for "the books" or any paperwork at all. I have trained him professionally and admit, he's tough to train, but once he's got the idea, he cannot be stopped, like many breeds of dogs, mastiffs come to mind. If we were comparing ourselves to dog breeds, I would be the Jack Russell terrier and he would be Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
You Dad was quite right about women, by-the-way. I think that the underlying quality of relationships changes as the participants mature.