Serious relationships are better than just dating

Hi there, I'll keep this fairly brief partly because I don't have much time left and partly because I'd feel bad posting a 2nd full 8,000 character response when you were unable to respond to my previous argument due to other commitments. I suppose I'll just retouch on a few points I previously made and try and clear them up a little. Regarding what I was saying about just not dating people who are already close friends; What I meant really was that there are certainly limitations to who you shouldn't date due to unjustified risk of other negative outcomes, but we seem to be arguing about whether relationships in and of themselves are better than casual dating, not about which seems to have more availability. Regardless of the limitations on who the person should be, in my mind a relationship is an amazing thing once you get it off the ground and really commit to another person. The core reason I feel your point about relationships hurting friendships is weak is that it doesn't offer any valid criticism of my argument that it doesn't also offer of your own. All the potential damage a serious relationship can do to friendships, casual dating encounters and casual affairs can also do. If I was to really stress anything from my previous statement, I suppose I'd firstly stress the sheer amount of extra emotional support you do get from a serious committed relationship as opposed to a casual date. It may be my own better experience of longer term relationships than dating but I really don't feel properly fulfilled when just dating someone casually. I feel somewhat insecure constantly when just casually dating. I'd feel as if it was harder to trust this other person with fundamental things. In fact, regarding your point about relationships giving you extra unwanted stress, I'd argue the opposite. I feel a great deal more stressed without proper commitment. Perhaps it's just me, but to feel like you're dating or sleeping with a stranger is an unsettling prospect indeed. Secondly, my criticism that keeping someone you're sexually interested in at merely a dating or casual level is a grossly unrealistic prospect. Personally, I long to know more about them, to spend time with them, etc. Every part of me seems yearn to want to be as close to this person as possible, physically, emotionally and mentally/intellectually. The Bryan Adams song 'Inside Out' expresses this feeling quite well for me I think. It's like a lust, almost as strong as a sexual lust, to continually discover this other person at deep level. Deliberately keeping things casual would seem so unnatural and would seem to go against every fiber of my being I would think. Lastly, going into this last round, I want to commend you for arguing the side of the debate that you yourself would've probably preferred not to argue. Carl Sagan, a man I deeply admire, used to run critical thinking courses, and towards the end he used to get small teams assembled to argue a case they believed in against opponents who believed the opposite. Then a week before the arguments were due he would surprise them and switch the teams and have them argue their opponent's side. The more commendable side was the one that could step outside of their own subjectivity and argue a convincing case for their opponent's side to their opponent's satisfaction. I feel that being able to see and understand differing points of view as clearly as possible is an amazing intellectual achievement, and thus want to commend you for arguing the side you have.