Would you prefer a life of loveless sex or a life of sexless love?

Driving down the freeway one day, you find yourself being followed by a hot, vaguely Mediterranean brunette driving a Ferrari. She follows you to your exit, corners you, and informs you that she is, in fact, Aphrodite, goddess of love & sex, establishing her bona fides by turning two teenagers nearby into a ion & lioness.

Aphrodite is feeling he’s mischievous that day, and consequently made a bet with her Nordic counterpart Frigga as to which of two alternatives you’ll choose. Here’s what she’s offering:

Say the word, and she’ll enchant you so that you’ll have a true, deep abiding love with whomever you name. If you’re not in a relationship with someone you love, you’ll meet your soulmate later that day; if you are already in such a relationship, your emotional bond with your lover will grow so deep and strong that nothing short of death will break you apart. But you’ll never, ever, ever have sex with this person; or, for that matter, with anyone else. You may, if you wish, give your soulmate permission to make the two-backed beast with others, but for you it’s a lifetime of touchie-no-lookie.

Alternatively, Aphrodite can make you sexually irresistable. Any mortal you see and desire will be passionately drawn to you and unable to resist your advances; and sex with these people will be extraordinary. But their passion for you will be purely physical. They’ll never cuddle, never offer a sympathetic ear, never rub your feet. On the day of your funeral, they’ll be mourning the orgasms you two shared together, not you.

Oh, and NOT choosing one of these options is not allowed. Unless you make a choice, Aphrodite will turn you into a gazelle with a broken leg and teleport you into the path of those two lions she created a few minutes ago. If you’re already in love, she’ll do the same to the person you’re in love with.

Which do you choose?

I’d go the gazelle route. I’d tell her the kiss my nether regions and let her do her worst.

Sexless love forever. Sex isn’t really that important. Yeah, I know. But really, it’s not.

I have a lot of love in my life. But no sex.

So I’ll have the sex please!

That’s a tough choice, because I have sex with a man I love more every day. But if I were forced to choose, I’d choose abiding love with no sex. Especially now that I’m menopausal. :wink:

Aphrodite turned the guy into an ion? That’s gotta hurt. But maybe it made him more attractive. I’ll stop now.

Couldn’t have put it any better.

Thread from December 2005 on the same topic (thread title is strikingly similar :wink: )

I’m leaning towards preferring “loveless sex”, but I think part of that reason is because it feels as if there’s a “close enough” in friendship. At what point does friendship pass into love (which I can no longer have)? Physical sex, OTOH, seems relatively easy to demarcate.

Loveless sex. I’m simply not personally interested in love and never have been. Nor do I put it on the pedestal that most people in our culture seem to; I’m sure it’s nice and all, but it’s not the Ultimate Absolute Good so many people seem to think it is.

“Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it’s a pretty good empty experience.” – Woody Allen

Dang! Stupid website I got that quote from had it wrong. It’s actually: “Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it’s one of the best.”

I’ll take the sexless love. No brainer for me.

Sexless love.

Wait - what about masturbation? Although I’d still take sexless love. I need my companionship.

I’d miss it, but I could survive without my wife’s body. I’d do anything to not lose her love.

Sex, please.

I would choose the loveless sex, I think. Then I would shoot out the tires on Aphrodite’s Ferrari so she would be stranded on the side of the freeway, because she’s a cunt.

I did my time in bars getting loveless sex. It was fun for a while, but not sustainable. During that period, I would have gone with loveless sex, but now I’d have to chose the other.

Based on experience : sexless love beats loveless sex any day of the week, with one arm behind its back and its eyes closed.