Is that the direction society is heading, then? Are our children destined for lives that are completely void of sexual relationships? Not necessarily. But it’s possible. In many ways, in fact, we are already there. Cloning, while controversial, is being studied and is taking place all over the world. Also, an enormous fertilization industry exists, allowing men and women to pursue parenthood through the latest advances in medicine.

Science aside, the desires of men and women are changing rapidly. Many women are making the choice to pursue careers instead of sexual relationships. Those who are adamant about this, but still feel the need to raise children are doing so with the help of invetro-fertilization and surrogate mothers. Many men have adopted misogynistic attitudes and can’t stand the thought of assuming parental roles at all. Former stereotypical standards of success (house, family, white picket fence) are becoming less and less attractive to both genders.

Pornography has also served to assist men and women who desire sexual stimulation, but are weary of or incapable of pursuing sex. It’s fair to say that an individual’s sudden thirst for passion can often be quenched with a little masturbation. This ‘fix’ is quite efficient as well: it can be obtained without any small talk, without any lengthy candlelight dinners, without any unneeded embarrassment, and all in the comfort of home-sweet-home.

Perhaps the concept of asexuality in human beings is evolutionary. Heck, why not? As organisms, we change and adapt to our surroundings. When those surroundings are under-populated or have high death rates, it obviously becomes necessary to be more sexually active. But what happens when an environment becomes over-populated, when its members begin living exceptionally long lives? One might assume that the gene pool of said community undergoes derivations that ultimately alter and reduce sexual attraction, leading to a more asexual society.

The concept of asexuality isn’t really that hard to grasp. As man has evolved, so have his sexual tendencies. Or lack of sexual tendencies, as the case may be. The causes are varied and for some, it is more of a lifestyle choice than it is for others. While our great, great grandchildren (those of us who are having them) may not ever have to rely on the SymEneX module to have sex, it’s a safe bet that asexual lifestyles will continue to thrive and play an important role in society in the future.

While I am currently enveloped in the roller coaster ride of my own sexual relationship, I can’t help but view asexuality in a whole new light now. Frankly, it doesn’t really sound like such a bad thing. Just don’t tell the wife that.