>there seems to be something hardwired in women to try to marry "up"<
Well, of course there is. A woman wants to look "up" to her man. She has her innate scoreboard if she can find someone to meet it, she is a goner. But this usually has nothing to do with extraordinary wealth. It has more to do with good character. The good qualities must outweigh the faults if she is to continue "looking up" to her man.
(Unfortunately, young love is blind until it is too late.
Even for the mature a long engagement is advised).
As for a strong sex drive = creativity and success, I respect your unwillingness to accept the concept, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.
As a real estate broker, in salespeople I looked for a good drive, perception, self motivation and a family to support. I was seldom disappointed.
The arts are powered by the sex drive. Poetry and painting
are the expression of either a thwarted one, or a requitted one, but dynamically more the thwarted one.
We are all sexual beings, and creativity and creative thinking, expresses how we relate to the world, literally and mystically. You are a scientist, perhaps wanting everything cut and dried. But things are seldom cut and dried, my friend. Oh dear, we could go on and on. Let's just agree to disagree, my friend.
I've enjoyed your respective posts -- You have both made good points...
I said, it's not true FOR MEN. I know this intuitively and instinctively as a male in a way that you cannot. I will concede that it might possibly be true for women.
The arts are powered by the sex drive. Poetry and painting are the expression of either a thwarted one, or a requitted one, but dynamically more the thwarted one.
Last time I checked, art was a spiritual expression, not a sexual one.
We are all sexual beings, and creativity and creative thinking, expresses how we relate to the world, literally and mystically.
Only for women. For men, sexuality is a simple physical appetite, unconnected to anything else. Romance, now, that's another story perhaps. But sex and romance are not inherently linked in males.
You are a scientist, perhaps wanting everything cut and dried.
I'm also an artist (not for $$ though). A musician, to be specific. And my libido has nothing to do with my abililty to improv a solo on the Gaelic tinwhistle, or write lyrics, or anything else.
Let's just agree to disagree, my friend
Well... okay, because I doubt I will ever convince you. But I have to say, a big part of the reason I kept harping on this is becasuse an enormous amount of intergender misunderstanding is generated by (in my experience), females wrongly projecting onto men, female attitudes, motivations, and psychological traits. One of the projections that causes the most heartache is the female assumption that male sexuality works like theirs does. It just doesn't. And men universally know this.