Objectophiles and the Presence of God: In Support of Objectum Sexuality.

Recently Marissa watched an episode of the National Geographic show 'Taboo' about people who are sexually attracted to objects.
You may have seen the guy who has sex with cars, he seems to have been featured by a variety of media.

The episode included not just the car guy but also a woman whose object of desire is the Berlin Wall! (every night she sleeps with a 4ft (looking) model of the wall. Sleeping with a model of their object is apparently not uncommon for objectos(my term))

What I hadn't realized about these people is that it isn't just a fetish. It is not simply that they get off on objects, rather it is their sexual orientation in the same way as people who are straight or gay. Meaning: for these people, the innate human desire to partner with others is only fulfilled by objects. While they enjoy friendships and other human interactions, they would be no more fulfilled by a romantic relationship with a human, than I would be with an object. Or a man.




But what I found most interesting is how incredibly happy and fulfilled these people appeared to be. The only other humans I've seen with the same level of glassy eyed love are those in the first few months of courtship. When with their object or speaking of them, their faces beamed with affection and adoration.

It makes a certain sense. These objects don't change. Their lovers can invest their entire hearts to the object and never feel hurt or rejected. The object doesn't have good days or bad days. It doesn't get angry or depressed. Every day it is as good as the first.
There are probably few, if any people alive with normal sexual orientation that have the same level of satisfaction from their relationships as objectophiles.

To be sure, part of the value of relationships is that they are challenging. It is hard to share your life with another person. It requires a great deal of compromise and introspection. Few things bring a persons flaws to front and center more than romantic pairing. It is painful to realize you aren't quite the person you had thought but ideally it can also be one of the best vehicles for overcoming those weaknesses. But then again, for some people it just brings out their worst without any improvements.

Although Objectophiles do not have that same sort of push and pull learning experience from their coupling, they get something else:

True unconditional love.

Something almost no one has in their relationship (and if you do, your relationship is likely unhealthy because it is probably best to not continue loving in the same way a person who abuses you or cheats on you every day etc. The very nature of romantic love, unlike parental or friendship, requires it to be conditional)

Part of the deal in being an objectophile is that, not only do you feel romantic love TOWARDS an object, but you feel it FROM the object.
Apparently one form or synesthesia (you know, tasting colors, hearing smells, that sort of mixing of the senses) is sensing personhood in objects. That whatever sort of vibe or energy we get from humans, these people get from objects. It is thought that object lovers have a form of this brand of synesthesia. They feel some sort of emotional energy coming objects. I suspect, that like with regular synesthesia, most of us have this in small portions (It's why metaphors make sense). Anyone who has a cherished tool or object probably feels, in a much much smaller way, some sort of positive presence from it. Artists and craftsman likely feel this slightly more than the rest of the population, but nowhere near the level of objectophiles.

The best comparison I can think of for what these objectos seem to experience is God.
For believers, God is the one source of unconditional love. No matter what, she or he is always there, sending his or her loving spirit.
But however much one might feel the presence of God in their hearts, it is something altogether different to be with someone/thing face to face. The car lover even referred to his relationship as spiritual. If you imagine feeling overwhelming love towards AND from a a being that is consistent every single day, it is easy to imagine why.

If a person were to dedicate their lives to encountering God through prayer and meditation as a monk or a nun or as an ascetic, even if it is through a tradition one does not share, it is usually seen as admirable or at the very least, not bad. If someone gets that same feeling through an object, is that so different?

If there is ever a movement in support of equal marriage rights for people and objects, I would like to be on the front lines.(the metaphorical front lines. If it involves actually leaving the house or doing something that involves physical energy then I'm out. Maybe I would even lead the opposition group, if I could do it from comfortable chair.)