Look at it this way: a meaningful and intimate relationship between two people is endlessly complicated in and of itself. Adding another person to the mix multiplies that complexity. I think a lot of people reject the idea because of this; excessive effort/reward that they don't see as necessary.
The complexity is also exacerbated by our culture being a monogamous one. I have nothing against monogamy, but I think our cultural prioritization of it is misguided. It's widely accepted for its convenience. I'm personally at a disagreement with our culture here because in principal I'm opposed to our defining of relationship roles and boundaries before we've even met the person we expect to fill those roles. A lasting relationship should grow out of the people relating to one another, not predetermined rules. I'm not quick to say "fuck rules" either, but I don't think they should be relied upon as heavily as they are in this matter.
A lot of people, it seems, try polyamory without thinking it through and do end up getting hurt, but I still wouldn't discourage anybody from trying it.... statistically speaking, scientific-shit-tons more people try monogamy without thinking it through and end up getting hurt anyway.
Like anything in any relationship, communication is bottom line.
The complexity is also exacerbated by our culture being a monogamous one. I have nothing against monogamy, but I think our cultural prioritization of it is misguided. It's widely accepted for its convenience. I'm personally at a disagreement with our culture here because in principal I'm opposed to our defining of relationship roles and boundaries before we've even met the person we expect to fill those roles. A lasting relationship should grow out of the people relating to one another, not predetermined rules. I'm not quick to say "fuck rules" either, but I don't think they should be relied upon as heavily as they are in this matter.
A lot of people, it seems, try polyamory without thinking it through and do end up getting hurt, but I still wouldn't discourage anybody from trying it.... statistically speaking, scientific-shit-tons more people try monogamy without thinking it through and end up getting hurt anyway.
Like anything in any relationship, communication is bottom line.