At what point does sex become, to use that most hated of cliches, making love? Where does one begin and the other end? Is it a question of time with that person? Is it a question of familiarity? Is it emotion? Is it something entirely different? There is a definitive and marked difference between fucking someone and having sex with someone. There's even a difference between that and making love. But, I'll bet if you think about it, you'd say that the method in which the physical act is carried out is completely different in each circumstance. So, therefore, by that logic, it's easy to say that sex and the definition of it is entirely physical.
Sex is, without a shadow of a doubt, the engine of life. If there are any Futurama fans reading this, they'll know about the episode where Fry downloads a Lucy Liu-bot and proceeds to have a completely hollow and empty relationship with her based purely on the physical. In an attempt to show the error of his ways, Fry's subjected to an educational film on the dangers of meaningless sex and how it is the ultimate downfall of humanity. In between laughing at this episode, it got me thinking.
If we, as individuals, simply wanted sex and nothing more, we could all go out right and do it. Provided we had the means and the opportunity. Take escort services. There's dozens of them across the nation, no doubt. For the right price, a man or woman could have utterly meaningless sex with a random stranger and that would sate the physical need for it. Or would it?
In many cases, people will often tell you that sex on its own is nothing. There has to be an emotional core to it. It can be for the right reasons or the wrong reasons. Vengeance, for one. Showing someone how much you miss them, for another. Many reasons. There is always an emotion linked to it. So to remove it is simply to not have sex. It's simply you and some other person engaging in what is essentially a physical act shared. It could be the exact same as shaking their hand. There is contact between two bodies, but nothing is added or gained.
There has to be knowledge of one another and knowledge of self. Consider what it would be like to engage in your wildest sexual fantasy. Remove the intended person. Insert another person who has absolutely nothing to do with the intended person. The thought, I'd wager, doesn't become half as pleasurable as it was initially. We connect sex with people. People we care about. When it is connected to people we don't care about, it is ultimately nothing and is very often a futile exercise.
I'll agree that some people do find pleasure in the physical act, alone. But deep down, if they were truly and completely honest with themselves, it may be a case of them telling themselves and everyone else that they enjoy it. We need the emotion in order for sex to be what we want it to be.
