Is it truly your decision when you say "I do" ? Have you ever thought about marriage ? I would I assume the answer is yes. Many people have a thought about marriage, whether they would like to get married one day or not. But what is the actual point in marriage? And why do you have to get married at a certain age?
If you want to be with someone, then great, be with them. But why do you need it written on a piece of paper? This is because society believes you need proof that you actually love someone. Society likes to make you think you are alone until you are married.
In religion, you are not suppose to intimately be with someone until after marriage, and this is how some people justify marriage. But in this day and age, this is not practiced as often. Yet people are still getting married.
A lot of people want to get married to show their love to their friends and family. And this is fine. But when you get married you should be thinking: "Who am I really doing this for? Me? Or because society tells me you should be married to the one you love?".
Now that you've decided you want to get married, you just need to find someone. But hurry, you're running out of time.
Let's talk about Friends for a moment. Not the person you go shopping with, but the show. Have you ever seen the episode of Rachel's thirtieth birthday? She realizes she's already thirty and she's not married, and she has no kids. She feels she needs to get her life in order and get married.
Society does this to us. If you are not married by a certain age, you are declared strange. It is common for people to get married in their twenties or mid-thirties. By why would you do that if you're not with someone you love?
You should not be forced into something like marriage if you are not ready, regardless of age.If you are older, you should not rush into meeting someone. Just wait, the person of your dreams will come in time. You will find them when the time is right.
There are also negative expectations on younger people who want to get married. If you are eighteen and you are with someone that you love, why can't you marry them? Well, you can, but what do you think your friends would think of you?
Not good things I'm guessing. This is because they feel you do not know enough about life to know whether you want to be with one person yet. Even if you love them. I'm not saying this is always wrong, but it's not always right either. It all depends on the person.
This is what I disagree with. Everyone is different, and every couple is different. Society expects and believes marriage is right. But this is a personal opinion. What is yours'?
I think marriage is a personal choice, and even though marriage is our culture's traditional option, it is perfectly acceptable to live in common law or remain single. Nobody forces you to get married. Many people chose to get married because it is a tradition and a way to celebrate a special time in your life. I see nothing wrong with that, just like I see nothing wrong with common law, etc. To each their own.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it is ridiculous that you are considered odd if you haven't married at a certain age. It is almost like you are obligated to find someone that you will (hopefully) spend the rest of your life with instead of someone who you truly love. I honestly think this factor contributes to a large number of divorces, which seem to be ever increasing in our society.
ReplyDeleteI think for sure that it is a stigma to be single, but I think that stigma is fading--my parents aren't married, I don't know if I'll ever get married, and I think the fact that teens are realizing the social pressure to get married and do things like this indicates that we're going to move progressively past it (or at least in the right direction).
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me the most is that the government labels people even if they don't want to be. My parents made the choice not to be married, but according to the government they're "commonlaw". Why? I don't get the point.
You bring up a good point. What is the point of marriage?
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's going to be difficult to erase this stigma since the idea of marriage is so ingrained in society. For centuries people have been getting married, for love or not, and it happens all over the world too.
I think marriage is a symbolic thing. It's like a ceremony to be in a supposedly eternal commitment. Some last, some don't. I think people just get married to show that they really love each other and that they will hopefully stay together until death do they part.