Letter from Reg Naulty
In the September edition of The Australian Friend (page 20), Roger Sawkins asks what is so special about ‘coupledom’.
The answer, in a word, is complementarity. Together, the two parts make a whole. The individuals concerned bring something different which is essential to making the relationship. Heterosexual love is the most obvious example.
As well as complementing each other in ways which may generate new life, the two partners complement each other in other ways, which may be termed spiritual.
The two mentalities complement each other. And that is experienced by both partners as being big deal. Very big deal. Indeed, it is one of the greatest experiences of life. Witness the songs, poems, dramas, operas, novels, which celebrate it.
Consider examples. Jane Austen’s novels are all about it, just about all DHLawrence is, and most films are. One could go on about it forever. And they do. Union in love is one of the greatest experiences of life.
That seems to imply that we are not meant to live alone, that we find much of our fulfillment in living with another.
That is what is special about coupledom.
Reg Naulty.
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