I'm sure there are strong and valid points to be made for both sides.

John Gray (Women are from Venus and Men have a Penis) was once quoted in an article saying "anything that detracts any form of intimacy from the relationship you share with your spouse is detrimental". He went on to state that even masturbation is bad. If you are sexual with yourself...you're taking something away from your relationship.

This, obviously, is a bit extreme for most people's taste, but one can certainly get the point (as oversimplified as I think it is) being made.

Having very close friends and confidants of the opposite sex can be beneficial to a marriage as well. A close friend will tell you things much more objectively and with less emotional involvement than your spouse. A friend will look at a situation and say "I understand what you are saying, but this is what I'm hearing."

Can there be a happy medium? Well, it's rare. (Sorry...but every post has to have some goofiness)

I guess it depends on how sincerely people believe that it is possible to love more than one person in a way that is true and deep. Does one love detract from the other or do they feed each other's fire? If one is gone, does the other flame go out...do two flames HAVE to extinguish because they inevitably end up consuming all of the fuel? Or can they continue to coexist, burning at a rate that allows each the fuel it needs?

Crazy little thing called love.