Living alone. “It’s like porn for wistful, surrounded parents,” writes one New York Times blogger on the subject.<\/p>\n
Yep, the very phrase sends coupled-up folk tingling with jealousy, longing and over-whelmed with long lost memories of frivolous fun and freedom. <\/p>\n
On the flip side, many singletons gag at the thought as they’re reminded of those familiar feelings of loneliness, despair and failure.
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Either way, I’m not quite sure when living alone became such a contentious issue. But the other week, as I flicked through my favourite newspapers online, I came across not one, but three, articles in The New York Times discussing the merits of living alone.<\/p>\n
One story, titled “Alone Together Naturally”, said that men can’t stand to live alone, especially after a mammoth break-up or divorce. <\/p>\n
Women, on the other hand, are apparently a little bit equipped for solo dwelling. And according to New York Times writer Dominique Browning, living alone – no matter how painful it can get sometimes – is certainly better than being in a bad relationship. <\/p>\n
“A marriage is a lot of work,” she writes. “Strike that. A man is a lot of work. Anyone who has been in a bad marriage knows that its defining characteristic is the unspeakable loneliness in which one feels shrouded, a sense of isolation amplified by not being alone.” Indeed.<\/p>\n
Yet many single blokes I’ve polled seem to vehemently disagree. <\/p>\n
“But surely you’d want to know if the person is crazy or not?” one male told me. <\/p>\n
“But surely you’d know if they were crazy before you decided to date them for the long term?” I countered. <\/p>\n
“It’s just too easy to break up if you live together, and not make it work,” said another man who lived with his girlfriend for six months before they decided to call it quits. <\/p>\n
“What if you actually don’t want to marry the person but you do want to live with them?” said a third gent at the dinner table. <\/p>\n
Which brings us to the age-old conundrum so many women in long-term relationships face: why live with him when he’ll think he can get the milk for free without buying the cow? (Or so the saying goes.)<\/p>\n
Which is an entirely other topic in itself, but nevertheless an interesting one: will living together prevent the dude from putting his hand in his wallet and making a real commitment? <\/p>\n
I have no idea. <\/p>\n
But let’s get back to the topic at hand. Of course it’s hard to argue against the fact it’s awesome living on your own. Cereal for dinner, cereal in bed and never having to close the bathroom door or clean up for anyone other than yourself. It’s what some would call “living it up”. <\/p>\n
But that elation only lasts up to a certain point. After enough parties and promiscuity to last a lifetime, reality hits.<\/p>\n
You begin to ask yourself: is this how life is going to be for all eternity? Is this really all there is? Will I be alone forever?<\/p>\n
Of course there are those who live alone for decades and never think twice about what life would be like on the other side of the fence. <\/p>\n
But then there are those who are natural-born huggers, spooners, lovers and partners. And it’s those folks who find it the most difficult of all… <\/p>\n
What do you think? Is it better to live alone or with a roommate or your partner? <\/p>\n
Have a great weekend and happy dating! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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