The Legend of Tomasio De Castillo: His Untold Story

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Is it better to be alive in the far past or the contemporary era?

While solitude was once a significant survival challenge due to societal dependencies, modern technological advancements have mitigated some of these risks, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the potential benefits and drawbacks of solitude.

In the past, human survival often hinged on social interactions. Hunting, gathering, and building communities were essential for protection and resource acquisition. Lack of social connections could lead to isolation, vulnerability, and even death. In the Victorian Era, those who would fail following the strict norms of courtship, would be pitied and excluded from society, especially women.

An Experimental Example...

Let me tell you a story as an example of why I think the present is far better to live in than, for instance, the Victorian era, or any other era where marriage was deemed compulsory.

I played an entertaining, free browser game whose name I have forgotten....

The game is basically a decision-making game set in a fantasy, Victorian-like universe, where you, as a noble, are given the chance to attend a long season at your queen's court, where scripted romantic opportunities can be made, depending on your choices.

A Legend of a Wise Fool

I decided to do a "celibate run" of the game -- refuse any romantic opportunity whatsoever, even if it is highly likely. I, Tomasio De Castillo, was eventually faced with three potential spouses.

There were three women who were interested in me, the self-made protagonist.

One was a wealthy merchant, but she was not very attractive. The second was a young and attractive woman, but she was naïve and had no significant fortune. The third was the Queen herself, who was married, but willing to abandon her husband for me.

The peak of the plot came during the Grand Ball, where the men carried a rose in their pocket and gave it to the woman of their liking. In this game, you can also be gay, so the men could also give the rose to the man of their liking.

This was also where you were given, most likely, the final decision of who would be your spouse out of the three ladies.

Dedicated to the intentions of my run of the game, I refused to give the rose to any of the ladies, even though the narrator went the extra mile to ask me if I was sure.

Contrary to what I thought, it is impossible to remain celibate in that game. If you fail to marry anyone during your stay at the Queen's Court, intentionally or unintentionally, your father will inevitably demand that you marry a woman who is as old as your grandmother, smells like a goat, is ugly, and comes from a not very significant family. Finally, her heritage will be passed down to her grown children instead of you when she dies.

Thus, the poor Tomasio De Castillo, who was convinced that he would triumph over the fate of marriage, was forced by his father to marry and was unable to do anything about it. Curse the narrator for not allowing me to do the voluntary celibate run I wanted!

The Moral of the Story

One can learn from this that being solitary nowadays is probably much better than being solitary in other, more ancient time periods. This is because modern loners have a lot more freedom than loners before the times of modernity.

So, as long as you will not be forced to marry to someone you don’t like out of your family’s desperation, let alone to do intercourse with them - you can be rest assured that you shouldn’t worry about whether you’re too solitary or not. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, and endure the consequences of your actions.

Some communities might still have forced marriages, but at least most of the world has abandoned this practice, for people should not be married against their will, male or female.