Welcome to Singletude

Welcome to Singletude! This blog aims to keep its chin up in a world that often looks down on those who are unmarried, either by choice or by circumstance. Each day, Singletude will feature a new blog about issues relevant to singles. Although this will include dating and relationships, this is no Sex and the City.

First of all, it's not about me. It's about you.

Here you'll find no self-indulgent diary entries inspired by my own navel (cute though it may be, even I get tired of looking at it), no emo lyrics masquerading as posts, and no "Page Six" reports on Elsie's adventures in dating. You will find useful links, news, discussions, and advice pertinent to your independent lifestyle, and, hopefully, you will find the occasional chuckle.

Second, although Singletude addresses the difficulties of life on your own in a society that glamorizes romance and incentivizes marriage, the focus here isn't on how you can make it through another miserable night of consulting the dog about what to watch on TV. "Singletude" is the mindset that you don't have to have an "other" to be significant. It's the attitude that you are a complete, worthwhile individual, whether or not you have a band on your ring finger. This blog encourages you to pursue your dreams, advance your interests, protect your rights, and explore your options as a person, not just as somebody's partner.

On the other hand, Singletude isn't a platform for manhaters, female bashers, and others who've swallowed too many sour grapes and cast off all human contact to buy a little house in Hermitville. On the contrary, I'm convinced that relationships are the building blocks of our well-being, and this blog promotes them. However, Singletude also acknowledges that romantic relationships aren't the only bonds which can meet our healthy needs for interaction and that, in fact, other kinds of relationships are sadly undervalued in today's social climate.

But, when and if you do enter a romantic commitment, "singletude" is the philosophy that a couple should be comprised of two unique people, not a collective Borg hivemind or the Bobbsey Twins. To that end, in short-term arrangements and serious relationships alike, Singletude advocates a thoughtful approach to dating in which both members of a couple treat each other's feelings and beliefs with respect and consideration. This is, above all, a humanistic blog, one which asserts that all people, male or female, married, dating, or just friends, have a responsibility to deal with each other sincerely and compassionately. Singletude celebrates the potential that people have, as social creatures, to change each other's lives and recognizes that we can use that power for our betterment or our detriment.

I'll also be answering reader questions and publishing your rants and raves about any aspect of singlehood that's on your mind, so please submit yours for consideration. Feel free to send suggestions for future blog topics, as well. I look forward to hearing from you!