Thoughts on Marriage

After interviewing seven intelligently well-spoken young adults with the question "What are your thoughts on marriage?", I compiled their various results and present them here for scrutiny. ~

Some find marriage "redundant" and "overrated," while others stick with the orthodox "important" and "good." ~ Another affirms that entering marriage is like experiencing "a different world." ~ Still another states that marriage is "scary." ~ Obviously, opinions differ greatly. ~

One that particularly touched me was through a boy's direct statement: "Personally, I wouldn't want to spend my life alone. To my buddies, I say it's because I don't want to make my own sandwiches. Real reason? I think it would be pretty depressing coming home after work to an empty house..." ~

What a true point. ~ A house without laughter, without love, is just an empty shell. ~ Spending life alone is not a pleasing thought. ~

Then there's the more misogamic point of view: "I see no point for it. Women use it as a way of security. [Some people] just haven't been in a [steady] relationship. It gets too disgusting, like mishy-mushy, you know? Fades after two weeks." ~

Eek. ~ Another good point. ~ Hormones induce a feeling of love that seems to be genuine. However, once the honeymoon phase is over, reality sinks in and you might discover that your partner is not as perfect as he or she seemed to be. ~

Two of the boys I interviewed both treat marriage as a sacred rite: "I think when being in a marriage, I am responsible for both of the family members. When I commit to love someone, I should just love that [one] person." ~

As well: "Marriage is something meant to legally combine two individuals as one spiritually. The two people undergo an occasion that will mark their anniversary, their legacy, and the fact that they are bonded together with the promises they will have to swear in front of many." ~

Truth be told, I agree most with the two following people: "I think that couples don't need such a ritual, and many couples today are choosing to not marry. [Marriage] should be thought of as just a practice. [It should be] a choice made by the individual, not one that is forced upon the individual by society." ~

As well: "It makes more sense if [marriage didn't exist], since after that initial act, you are obligated to remain faithful. But if you loved that person to such an extent anyways, the ceremony isn't really needed." ~

To me, marriage is simply a legal act. ~ We have built it up to a true bond, something that will overcome all, that in itself will be the glue that holds a couple together. ~ But in our society, infidelity is more common than true love. ~ Sure, there are the happy old couples living together after all these years, but do we truly understand the difficulties of marriage? ~ Do we want to risk the pain that comes with marriage, when it would be so much simpler to deal with a break-up? ~ I'm not saying marriage is bad. ~ Only... is it good enough to carry through with? ~

In the end, one girl sums it up pretty well: "You're basically dedicating yourself to one person that you probably don't know completely. But I think that if you get a good marriage, it's going to be really worth it. So... I want a good guy." ~

Special thanks to you seven who so graciously accepted to be interviewed. ~ Seriously, all the conflicting emotions I had and still have over marriage were presented in your views. ~

Dihydrogen Monoxide

It's hot out. ~ Scalding, really. ~ Your tongue is parched to the extreme. A dull throbbing pain in your throat prevents you from swallowing. ~ You rush in to the cool air-conditioned house, but even that does not soothe your burning need. ~ In haste, you run to the sink and open the faucet. ~ A cool stream of liquid bursts forth. ~ Shivering with anticipation, you take a gulp. ~ Instant relief. ~
Sounds like a drug, doesn't it? ~ In truth, we undoubtedly are addicted to this precious, unique solvent. ~ Polar, small, high surface tension, high heat capacity... Its wondrous properties are endless. ~
Water. ~ *Cue heavenly angels singing.*
For once, perhaps, I am not exaggerating. ~ Really. ~ Water is indispensable. We use it to drink, to travel, to dissolve other substances, to clean, to wash, to calm, to play... When is water not important? ~ What makes Earth such a unique planet within the solar system and possibly even the entire universe is precisely its numerous large bodies of water. ~
Water has also taken on symbolic meaning in literature. ~ Rebirth, in the case of a fetus surrounded by the mother's amniotic fluid. ~ A pure quality, as in the cleansing and washing away of the old ways of life. ~ Rejuvenation, as in the fountain of youth. ~ Water is so mysterious, so beautiful, so tantalizing. ~ In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow, in his usual devil-may-care way, says "my first and only love is the sea." ~ Indeed, I suspect many a sailor has fallen in love with this wild, untamable lady and been lured into her depths. ~ She is beautiful, true, but dangerous. ~
I've often gazed longingly yet with certain fear into deep water, wondering what it hid in its depths. ~ The strange underwater worlds has inspired so many myths and legends that it would be a shame to unveil its true self. ~ Yet science plows on. ~ Off topic here. ~
The miracle that is water, this transparent fluid that may become a source of worry due to the endless contamination we force upon it, should forever remain a priority in our minds, something to cherish and something to keep pure. ~ After all, when the pure is soiled, what hopes do we, the tainted human race, have of ridding ourselves of the dirt that we accumulate on our hands? ~

Unique

I've recently thought about uniqueness and it really got the gears in my head turning. ~ My original theory is that we are all unique because though we do to the same things, have the same hobbies and even occasionally think like many other people, no other person is exactly the same as us. No one else has the exact same combination of everything as we do. ~

But then, none of this really amounts to much. You might be unique, but so is everyone else. ~ Being unique begins to sound like a given, something not even worth thinking about. ~ But that can lead to all sorts of speculation. ~ Most of us need a purpose in life. We want something to live for, something to look forward to, some reason we exist. ~ But if we are not all unique, then how do we do this? ~ Uniqueness is important after all, and it must be reaffirmed continuously for us to feel good about ourselves. ~

I've recently listened to a few concerts, and one that really stood out to me was the performance of the highly talented Jan Lisiecki, piano virtuoso at the tender age of fifteen. ~ It makes me wonder if maybe geniuses such as this young pianist are more unique than the rest of us? ~ Were Einstein, da Vinci, and Walt Disney all so exceptionally talented because of their uniqueness? Is uniqueness not the root of originality, and therefore new ideas? ~
So maybe that need to feel special stems from a greed for recognition. ~ Is it not nice to be acknowledged for one's superiority, for one's genius? ~ We all want so desperately to be unique. ~ And some of us succeed, whether it be in the standard way, like Lisiecki, or in the unusual way, like Lady Gaga. ~ Just strive to be yourself, though that might prove to be toughest challenge of all, and that's how you'll come to be at peace with yourself and your quest for uniqueness. ~