by Mac a'Bhaird

Created on: March 09, 2010

Certainly, for society to be civilized there must be relationships between sexes that are not sexual, so the answer is yes, men and women can be just friends. Yet between the sexes (we are referring to two people who are heterosexual), there are two areas that can become high risk, regardless of moral implications: one is possible physical attraction, and the other is plain and simple falling in love. Most of the time the two are mysteriously connected, however not always. It is certainly possible for a person to be physically attracted to someone without being in love, and vice a versa.

I daresay there are circumstances in which one can maintain a strictly platonic relationship (affectionate relationship marked by the absence of sex or romance) with the opposite sex however that might be totally different if they are placed in other circumstances; all of a sudden they are sharing close quarters in a space capsule, and will be eating, drinking, and sleeping next to one another for the next two years!

Ah, this conjures up all sorts of thoughts- no, you still wouldn’t have any attraction to that person if he/she sparked your intellect but was as ugly as a horse; or maybe he/she was like a father or mother to you?  It certainly is possible for someone to have a sensual beauty but because of our particular relationship with them, we don’t think of them in that way. You had no physical interest in your father or mother for crying out loud!

Yet there are limits. Perhaps he/she didn’t remind you of your father or mother, and didn’t look like a horse... instead, (I speak from the perspective of a man) in her you saw an intelligent, but besides mental stimulation, you saw a soft, curvaceous specimen of feminine beauty, with eyes and lips that hypnotized you, if you don’t wish the friendship to go beyond the intellect, you’d better stay in the control room on earth or choose to go to outer space with your dog instead!

In other words, there are certain situations where a more than platonic relationship is impossible; and there are others where it is possible but not probable; the probability of the matter changing based upon the circumstances and also one’s own will power.

It is possible that some may not quite relate to what I am saying, it wouldn’t matter with whom they shared a space capsule with for two years; they can maintain their platonic composure sharing a close compartment with the most sensual of the opposite sex!

Yet others may only relate too well, as they are only too aware of their weaknesses and limitations.  In those circumstances when one’s good judgment might be flung out of the space capsule, you may hope that person would turn to you and say, “oh, by the way, to set your mind at ease, I’ve been transgendered”... or do you? It might just make you jump out the window.

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