There are some who argue that polygamy is the natural way of humankind and monogamy is a manipulation, perhaps, but it is part of the process we know of as evolution. We cannot deny evolution as we witness it every day in our own lives. Evolution is more than physical adaptation; it is the constant learning, growing and creating we do individually and collectively. It is the process of surviving our circumstances, learning from our experiences and moving forward into newer versions of ourselves. It is an ever increasing understanding of our place in the universe, our beliefs about who we are and the development of new technologies. Since our inception we have continually evolved as we learn new ways of being and moving through life. The evolution of humankind has been experienced for many millennia and our own historical records show physical evidence of this progression.
Although we have evolved to a place where most of us recognized the equality of men and women there are still some who cling to the belief that men must collect and conquer women. That it is a man’s biological need to plant his “seed” into as many women as possible. In the dawning age of man when ever increasing numbers were needed to insure survival of the species that physical nature was true. The biological awareness of a lion on the savannas of Africa is that same natural state of being. It is a survival mechanism built into the animals and was once built into us. But we have evolved past the need for human survival in a wild and dangerous world where we are the prey and resources are scarce.
Many of the less evolved societies insist that sex is a masculine need and female obligation. Making love has been twisted into a perversion when in actuality we all need to make love and to be in loving connective relationships. It is a basic human need to be loved and feel a close connection to other human beings. While some argue that men are less likely to cheat on their wives if they are allowed more than one wife that is simply not the case. Most men are perfectly content with one wife. Men rarely stray from marriage because of sex, but because an emotional need is not being met. Evolved men are monogamous by nature and when men’s emotional and physical needs are met by their partners they have no desire to look elsewhere for fulfillment. A superior male recognizes that relationships based in partnership are more rewarding and fulfilling than those based in ownership.
Societies that live and teach polygamy are societies that refuse to evolve, which is evidenced in their other beliefs. In the societies where men are allowed to have more than one woman and where it is acceptable practice to barter and trade women like animals men are reduced to animalistic activities and tendencies. Most polygamist relationships are not based in love but are based in male domination and control. Many polygamist societies use outdated religious beliefs as a means to justify what is recognized by more evolved societies as a violation of human rights.
There are some who argue that polygamy is a more natural state for women. Sadly many women have been manipulated to believe it is the only way they can have truly fulfilling relationships with other women and the only way they can have their needs met. Women are forced to compete with each other for the intimacy of their husband which disempowers them. They live in the belief they are not worthy of real intimacy and they live in the lie that they are helpless. Women are so much stronger and self-sufficient than those societies allow them to be. The relationship women desire with other women exists in friendship, not competition and women deserve real and genuine love that is unhampered by outdated practices and beliefs.
While there are some who refuse to accept the evolutionary process and attempt to remove themselves from it we cannot deny its existence. It is built into us and is in essence the way we are created. We were created to learn and grow and to evolve. I like to believe that men have evolved beyond the beasts of the field. Certainly the men in my life have.
The Polygamist's Daughter 
Very intelligent, Victoria. “A superior male recognizes that relationships based in partnership are more rewarding and fulfilling than those based in ownership” is a profound line! Thank you for writing this.
I have to disagree here, on a few points. “Less evolved societies”, are these in contrast to the westernized societies? Because while technologically and financially they certainly are more advanced, I really do not think that westernized can not claim the “most evolved” badge. In Westernized society, young men and women drink to forget their problems, and to assist them in securing a “lay” for the night. Money, power and social status often outweigh the more traditional family values, with many parents spending significantly more time at the office, than with the kids. The television and computer are the primary forms of “human contact”, replacing hours that could be spent in a community setting with other humans. This is more evolved?
In regards to polygamy, while I agree the lifestyle has been abused by many, I really do not think that this should give anyone the right to judge those consenting adults to live this lifestyle (or Polyandry- multiple husbands.) Can we really argue that the man that has 3 wives who he loves and attends to all of their lives, caring for all his children consistently, is less evolved than the man who has 3 wives throughout his life but at different times, losing contact with the first two wives (and the consequential children), because I have seen and heard this story all too many times, and I really think the children would have been better off in a polygamous relationship!
I understand that these men are not the only monogamous type, and there are many that live in monogamous relationships, but perhaps the more evolved society should fix its own problems before attempting to fix the issues it sees with other cultures.
I say live and let live, lets get off our cultural high horse, and acknowledge that there is many different way to live, none of which are more “evolved” or superior than the other. Just different.
This post has nothing to do with western societies vs. eastern societies and has nothing to do with advanced technologies. It is about societies, however large or small, all over the globe that still support the ownership and inequality of women. I am not in judgment of what people do as a means of individual survival in this ever changing and complex world. People have been drinking or smoking their problems away and looking for a quick lay for countless centuries and quality time spent with others is a matter of individual perception. Those who are on the very edge of evolution understand that above all else love must take precedence. I take no issue with relationships that are truly based in love, whatever that relationship looks like. MOST polygamist relationships, regardless of country, are based in the ownership and inequality of women and is precisely that reason that polygamy continues to be illegal in societies that are more focused on human rights and equality.
did you say more focused on human rights and equality…..yet they deny polygamists their right as human beings to live their life how they see fit? Equality for who, in societies that say it is ok to be homosexual and get married but is not just as fair or “equal” when it comes to polygamy. And like he said, those things are more common in westernized societies i.e. drinking or smoking their problems away and looking for a quick lay, and as the westernized mentality is being spread, so are those things. stop and think about it for a second…
I am not opposed to polygamy when it is based in real and genuine love. However, MOST, polygamist relationships worldwide are based in the ownership and inequality of women. This is not a discussion of east vs. west and one cannot compare the biological makeup of homosexuality with the lifestyle choice of polygamy. Drinking, smoking and a quick lay exist in every culture across the globe and have existed for many millenia, this is by no means a new westernized mentality. I am talking about human rights. No human being deserves to be treated as a servant or slave to another, which is most often the case with polygamy, though conveniently disguised and justified by religion.
Evolution is compatible with belief in God, and enhances it. The religious practice of polygamy demeans women. At a certain stage, men naturally want to settle down and nest themselves, as do women. They get tired of chasing around looking for a woman, and indeed find the women are less and less appealing. They want to have a house and someone to bring order to it and to their lives. They need someone to think of buying sheets and towels and establishing a home. We are not hunters and gatherers anymore. In this society we don’t have to have men marry brothers’ widows, or have several wives to tend crops while they hunt. After all, their hunting brings in less food than the food that women grow. We are beyond any need for the practice, and it has now become an unequal proposition based on a whacky belief system.
I absolutely agree. We were born to create, to learn, to grow and to evolve and we were all born in equality. As we evolve individually and collectively and learn to live in real, genuine, unconditional love for ourselves and for all creation, we honor our creator.