Quote Originally Posted by Irulan View Post
Personally knowing a lot of guys like this, (climbers, ski bums, raft guides etc) they are commitment phobes, immature and self centered, and place the adrenaline need pretty high up on the list. They DO need to grow up. Anyone remember the Peter Pan syndrome?
Just to play devil's advocate: But for whose benefit do they need to grow up? I have no real issue with men or women who essentially just live for themselves, so long as they don't otherwise have a responsibility for/to anybody else, i.e., a spouse or child, or do anybody else any real harm. Now I may not choose to associate much with them, but that doesn't mean they're in the wrong.

Maybe it's a function of what I do and where I live, but I know very few people of the ski-bum variety. Instead, I know a lot of workaholic (mostly) men, who use their jobs as a way to avoid being a full-time spouse or parent. To me, that's not particularly grown up either, although it is a lot more socially acceptable. For me, it's all about living honestly. If you're a commitment phobe, then don't get married under the pretense that you are committed. If you really don't want to parent, then don't have children. If you want to live for yourself, then don't make anybody else dependent on your income, your time or your focus. If you don't want to work hard enough to make decent money, then fine, but don't mooch off of anybody else.