A few cursory thoughts on modern human sexuality

Things have changed, yet remain remarkably constant. I recall that back in the cave man days (I believe they called me Og), there was a dire need for us cave-dudes to spread our seed as far across the plains as possible. Now, at this time, that made perfect sense as the population was low and there was always an immenent danger of being eaten by a carnivorous dinosaur. Okay I don't want to hear anything from you scientific-historian types as to why this is not true. The point is that clear back from ancient times males have always felt an innate urge to Uggh-uhgh as many females as we could. The female cave'ettas always thought this behaviour to be reprehensible. Their position was more along the lines of finding it most desirable to attract that one perfect (yah,right! the cave'ette snorted) male and keep him around to pump that marvelous seed into her every nine months or so.
This mind set went on, and in fact florished, for many centuries. With all of the wars, disease, and carnivorous dinosaurs, there was a continual need to replenish the population. Now lets fast forward to more modern times. Since the dawn of the 20th century, we have had WWII, women's liberation, the sexual revolution, and stunning advances in medical technology, not to mention a dramatic decline in the rate of death by carnivorous dinosaur. The population of the planet hasn't reached its zenith, but is already at an unsustainable level. I'm afraid, fellow guys, that we no longer have a built-in excuse for spreading Ugh-uhgh all throughout the tribe. The good news for women is that they no longer have to pitter-pat around the cave barefoot (okay - so we were ALL barefoot) and pregnant, spending all day skinning the sabre toothed tiger that cave-hubby brought home. This has opened up some rather intriguing possibilities for recreational and casual sex. It has also changed the way many people view romantic relationships.
Now to the real meat of this post, uh well, you know what I mean. I believe that the traditional marriage, while still prevalent in western society, is on the decline and alternative arrangements are becoming a bigger part of our collective lives. Obviously there are gay and lesbian relationships, there always has been (seen any ancient Greeks around lately? Of course not, they never propogated - heh). Now we are seeing many instances where one or both of the two people in a couple are bi-sexual to one extent or another. Many choose to live together sans marriage license, that's no surprise news either. Others get involved in a platonic marriage, as is the case with a lot of elderly people. There are room-mates who have sexual relations periodically, couples who maintain separate residences, a hold-over from the 80's where a woman will take on a "sex friend" or two, and lets not forget swingers. Yes, they are still around, the 70's didnt kill them off. The woman I am currently the closest with lives 3000 miles across the country from me, and our relationship is conducted primarily via cell phone and email, although we have met face-to-face. It seems to be working for us. The modern day "relationship" is ever evolving into something unique for each set of people involved in it.
As for me personally, I like to believe that we can all have the best of both worlds. It is natural for both sexes, now that women are also more free, to be physically attracted to people other than their mate. Perhaps if all couples were more open the divorce rate would drop as the internal pressure reduced. It is refreshing to know women who don't get crazy jealous when I look at a pretty girl on the beach or glance at some cocktail waitress's breasts for a nano-second too long. I, of course, afford them the same courtesy. It doesnt hurt my feelings any if the woman I am with tells me that the hot carpenter on some home improvement show turns her on. It just fuels my desire for her even more. Each couple must decide the parameters that work for them. I know one couple in Reno who live their lives completely open, even to the point of falling in love with others while remaining together. I know another couple who are sexually monogamous all but one time per year when they each strike out in search of some "strange" for a single weekend. Others have a deal where each person has a "side dish" lover to scratch that occasional sexual itch. The key seems to be that they always must be open and honest with each other, and to treat each other with respect and love. What I always look for involves a little modern sexuality combined with a little traditional romanticism. I like the idea of remaining emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually monogamous with my special woman while we allow each other a certain amount of physical and sexual freedom in whatever form we agree to.