The evolution of the English language has birthed portmanteaus such as bromance, sismance and womance to reflect a non-sexual intimate bond between people of the same gender. However, the focus of this article is on platonic relationships in heterosexual settings. In these relationships, an element of infatuation exists but is typically played down because of the non-existence of carnal attraction. Are these relationships realistic? Probably! I for one won’t deny that professional and emotional connections with people of the opposite sex can enhance appreciation of life and enrich the soul.
But it would take a phenomenal degree of self-control and self-discipline to maintain such relationships in the long haul, particularly when they are punctuated by many prolonged moments of choosing to be together in privacy. I would not be surprised if rancid salvos were aggressively lobbed at me by judgemental people quick to censoriously dismiss me as a skirt chaser who excels at denigrating women to objects of sexual fantasy and peripatetic bordellos. While I have no issues with absorbing such mean blows, may I lovingly caution, if you are inclined to stoop that low, please remove the mud in your eyes and turn the microscopic lens towards you. Few things are as repulsive as the ingrained culture of grossly sugar-coating the truth at all costs.
