Soul Mates

Well with Valentines day really near, I wanna hear your guys opinions on soul mates.

What defines them?
Do you think they exist?
Can you have more than one?

Personally, I think that a soul mate is someone you will have minimal trouble with in your life and be of minimal trouble to theirs while sharing strong mutual feelings of love. Also, since it seems to me that they just take a simple criteria, that it is possible to have more than one.

It doesn't seem impossible, just improbable.

Sporadic wrote:It doesn't seem impossible, just improbable.

I agree...thus far...there really isn't anyone in my life I would consider a soul mate.

The word "soul" has a lot of pseudo-mystical BS connotations associated with it, so I'm always wary whenever the term is used. Depending on your definition of soul mates, I may or may not agree that they exist. If by "soul mate" you mean that there is some transcendent mysterious force in the universe working in the background to create the most perfect match for you, then no, I don't believe in "soul mates". If by "soul mate" you mean there is someone out there who just happens to be very compatible with you on multiple levels, then sure, soul mates can exist. In fact, it may even be highly probable that they exist just by virtue of the fact that there are 7 billion people living on the planet. It's just that the odds of meeting your particular soul mates may be slim depending on your location relative to theirs.

MiniSiets wrote:It's just that the odds of meeting your particular soul mates may be slim depending on your location relative to theirs.

Did you know what the most critical criteria of meeting a potential mate is?

Proximity.

Perhaps that'll change in this day and age, but who knows.

Hmm, I view this topic in two ways...

The idealist - Which is kind of the cheesy, cliche lovey-dovey type thing in which no matter where they are out there somewhere...
and,
The realist - It is down to whether you meet them, click/get to know them... etc... etc... Very much based on who you meet and if you work at it...

I would say defining them varies very much person to person... as would any ideal as even when viewed in a realistic sense, a person still holds their ideal for one...

Do they exist in the whole somewhere on this planet there is only one true person? Then maybe...
Do they exist in the whole you can find them and build it up, not rely on fate type thing? Maybe again...

In terms of having more than one, is kinda a throw back to the discussion of can you love more than one person. This again greatly varies from person to person as it depends on ideals, tastes, views, morals... etc etc and all that good stuff I spend endless hours learning in Sociology...

Personally... I do believe in the realist view... but at the same time I do have my idealogy of it all. My idealism for a soul mate is very much that there could well be only one person out there but once you find them you have to work at it... But I also accept that for some people there might be more... This then leads to the whole realistic view of the one your meant to be with is just the one you are with the longest or last which varies with age and events in your life...

Soul Mate is but the word to describe someone and with that in mind, I believe the general consensus for it is "lover" or "Partner" or whatever else you want to describe it as... So yeah they do exist.

Colme wrote:

MiniSiets wrote:It's just that the odds of meeting your particular soul mates may be slim depending on your location relative to theirs.

Did you know what the most critical criteria of meeting a potential mate is?

Proximity.

Aye, what this guy said - there may be plenty of fish in the sea, but what good does it do when one's stuck in the middle of the desert? lol

To me a "soul mate" is a person w/ whom one shares a deep mutual understanding and unquestionable loyalty. It's the kind of person who understands how you "operate" and what makes you "tick". W/ such a person there's no real need to tell them how you feel about something (or someone, or in general), because they can read you like a book and so they already know that. There is no real need to justify your actions to them, because they already know your motivations. There's no real need to explain what you're planning because they already have a pretty good idea of it. They don't need to always agree w/ you, but they understand you and support you regardless. Obviously the same goes in the other direction as well, you do for them as they do for you.

Or, put cut and dry, a "soul mate" = "extremely compatible partner". And I use the term partner kinda loosely - while it does imply the person in question is of the opposite sex, romantic feelings and sexual attraction are not entirely necessary for said person to be considered a "soul mate". Tho they can certainly make the process easier.

So does such a person exist somewhere out there right now for every single one of us - probably no. Can such a person be "created" - absolutely, whether it's thru a long-term friendship or a short but "violent/eventful" relationship. Does only one such person exist in the world - well no, why would there be just one? As long as their personality is suitable just about every person one encounters has the potential to become a "soul mate".

I tried the realist view of finding a soul mate and failed
I think I'll try the idealist way for a while it seems easier

I really do think two people can "click" together, and by that they can be called "soul mates". But, some supernatural external force that binds people together to be called "soul mates" is laughably fictitious. Such beliefs probably arose from others' speculation on couples who can be called "soul mates" in the first tense brought up.