man, what you need is a virtual girl 
I heard this many times - mostly from people that are married now
Some of my girlfriends has asked me about getting married - and I always thought they should do it, if they could find the right one…
Yeah exactly, I’m with my partner because our relationship just works and there are lots of reasons for that. I look at some relationships where the couple are cheating on each other or regularly lie to each other or argue because they don’t have the same value systems or tastes and I wonder why they’re together.
Marriage won’t stop you falling out of love with someone and you have no control over that at all. It’s a social control mechanism behaviour that probably evolved out of our tendency to form long term relationships with healthy strong partners back when we were hunter gatherers. My guess is that at some point witchdoctors showed up and the next thing we’re all getting married ‘for the good of the community’. Don’t forget that in a lot of cultures marriages are ‘arranged’, usually for some social or economic benefit.
I heard this many times - mostly from people that are married now
How old were they before marrying and after ?
After they got married they were much much older.
The more I think about this the more I’m realising that in fact marriage has very little benefit to the couple actually doing it, it’s all about the social implications. Marriage is for other people, just like funerals are for the people left behind not the person that actually died.
We’re encouraged to marry by the government through tax breaks for married couples and a failure to legally recognise unlicensed partnerships, if there’s a religious aspect it allows that religion to further control it’s flock, the rings say 'hands off she’s/he’s mine claiming exclusive sexual access to that person or even a form of ownership, the ceremony helps bind communites and families, the economy benefits (especially jewellers, photographers and caterers).
Seriously, what part of marriage is actually for the couple getting married?
Apart from the potential of the man gaining all the wife’s; Llamas and possessions and the family bonds not much. It’s more for the sake of everyone else hoping that the vows are genuine, etc.
they were elder when they married
love tends to happen while you’re busy making other plans…
I doubt it’s all love to blame for it 
Well I agree with you Saul, I guess I should’ve clarified what I meant. I guess in terms of seeking approval, I like the idea of the traditional element of seeking the OK from parents on both sides - it’s just respectful IMO. But that’s not to say that if you don’t get approval that it should all stop there. It’s just traditional courtesy that’s all, it’s not for everyone but personally I like the idea. Obviously it shouldn’t matter to anyone who approves or not, when you’ve found the right one, you should go for it. :tup:
I had to laugh when I read this, I knew you would come back with something like that. Well, I must say that I have to respect your strict principles and how you stick by them, good for you! :tup: You are correct of course but I do find it curiously interesting how you phrased your last sentence though, but I guess that’s just typical Saul, always the businessman 
:scratch:
Well my idea of traditionalism is not really traditional per se So I would have to disagree here, I come from a strange world really and certainly not from one that’s socially correct 
Well, no, not yet, but if I did I’m 100% sure my better half would eat it and infact ask for seconds 
I don’t think it’s fair to assume that I don’t question something because of how I was raised. I can understand where you’re coming from but I don’t think you know me well enough to support that theory. In terms of approval, as I said above to Saul, I believe it can mean many things to different people. True, in some cases people may very well be socially influenced to adhere to certain traditional customs but I don’t believe you can paint everyone with that brush. I think in this day and age, most people who are getting married only include particular customs and/or traditions to compliment their own tastes/programme which is a luxury that most people would not have had so many years ago, or perhaps still don’t in certain places unfortunately. :injured:
Shut up!
How can traditionalism be not traditional? It’s either tradition or not. You either want to wear a white dress to your wedding or you don’t. If you do, you’re following the tradition. It has nothing to do with questioning it. It’s like saying, “I’m gonna wear a white dress, but I’ll question it first, so it’s not really a tradition”. It is!
Too much information!!! :crazy:
Well I think we’ve got our wires crossed in terms of our own take on the definition of tradition. Traditionalism to me is not something strict, I take what I want out of it and build on that. It’s the idea of continuing on what was once used before but in a way that compliments your own beliefs also. I don’t believe tradition has to follow any certain rules to be honest!
It doesn’t matter how you follow the tradition. It hardly ever stays the same since inception, it evolves continuously. But it’s still tradition and if you follow it, even if partly, you’re still following tradition. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that.
I think, following blindly is sheepleism. Choosing to follow for your personal reasons is a personal choice, even if that choice is to be one of the sheeple. We’re all sheeple some times.
After they got married they were much much older.
The more I think about this the more I’m realising that in fact marriage has very little benefit to the couple actually doing it, it’s all about the social implications. Marriage is for other people, just like funerals are for the people left behind not the person that actually died.
We’re encouraged to marry by the government through tax breaks for married couples and a failure to legally recognise unlicensed partnerships, if there’s a religious aspect it allows that religion to further control it’s flock, the rings say 'hands off she’s/he’s mine claiming exclusive sexual access to that person or even a form of ownership, the ceremony helps bind communites and families, the economy benefits (especially jewellers, photographers and caterers).
Seriously, what part of marriage is actually for the couple getting married?
Good Points made, very good points.
For me, marriage is a matter of freedom and maturity.
I’m 80% against the marriage. (And 20% for the marriage if I meet my “Mr.Right for whole life” but who can be sure in this) 
Just because, if you don’t have a true two-way love then your marriage is a waste of time, nerves, faith, money…
Our life is too short to be wasted this way.
For me, marriage is a matter of freedom and maturity.
Freedom, hahahaha ! Quite the opposite.
Who cares about marriage, in my books No Marriage, No Kids .