I once knew a certain high school teacher, who believed religiously in
every kind of freedom. When she married, she and her husband, an artist,
made a vow against jealousy; but as it worked out, this vow meant that
the wife had a steady job and took care of the husband, while he loafed
and loved other women. When finally she grew tired of it, he accused her
of being jealous; also, she had brought it down to the matter of money!
I know another woman, an Anarchist, widely known as a lecturer on sex
freedom. She laid down the general principle of unlimited personal
freedom for all, and she tried to live up to her faith. She entered into
a "free union" with a certain man, and when she discovered that he was
making love to another woman, in the presence of a friend of mine she
threw a vase of flowers at his head. You see, her general principles had
clashed with another general principle, to the effect that a person who
feels deep and strong love inevitably desires that love to endure, and
cannot but suffer to see it preyed upon and destroyed.
Let us first consider the question, just what are the true and proper
implications of monogamous love? The Roman Catholic church advocates
"monogamy," and understands thereby that a man and woman pledge
themselves "till death do us part," and if either of them cancels this
arrangement it is adultery and mortal sin. I hope that none of my
readers understands by "monogamy" any such system of spiritual
strangulation. My own idea is rather what some churchman has
sarcastically described by the term "progressive polygamy." I believe
that a man and woman should pledge their faith in love, and should keep
that faith, and endeavor with all their best energies to make a success
of it; they should strive each to understand the other's needs, and
unselfishly to fulfill them, within the limits of fair play. But if,
after such an effort has been truly made, it becomes clear that the
union does not mean health and happiness for one of the parties, that
party has a right to withdraw from it, and for any government or church
or other power to deny that right is both folly and cruelty.
Now, on the basis of this definition of monogamy--or, if you prefer, of
progressive polygamy--we are in position to say what we think about
jealousy. If two people pledge their faith, and one breaks it, and the
other complains, we do not call that jealousy, but just common decency.
Neither do we call it jealousy if one expects the other to avoid the
appearance of guilt; for love is a serious thing, not to be played with,
and I think that a person who truly loves will do everything possible to
make clear to the beloved that he is keeping and means to keep the
plighted faith.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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