This is a post that I saw on the Paulo Coelho's blog, one of my favorite authors. He asks his readers to define marriage. I copied the entire post here and included a link. I was going to summarize the post and provide commentary, but I think it would do it a disservice and these types of things need to be read verbatim. I tend to not agree with all opinions listed here but Stella's response and Neel P's really speak to me.
What is Marriage to You?
What is Marriage to You?
Some time ago, I took a straw poll among my blog readers regarding a few issues. Here are their opinions on marriage
Stella: I am condemned to love you, and that is my salvation. I shall have to live for ever in the shadow of your eyes, accept the fact that everything your hand touches arouses the best in me. All that I know is your love, nothing else interests me.
Prajakta: Two people join together, love provokes more love. Two imperfect beings unite, and perfection becomes possible.
Dasha: The ceremony of marriage is just a symbol, and we could live very well without all the pressures that it implies. Love is free and wild, and the more we feel this state of freedom, the more aware we are of the joy that it means to live with another person we have chosen, rather than with someone that society has obliged us to be with.
Leila: In my religion (Islam), marriage amounts to many ways of worshipping God. I cannot understand religions that preach celibacy and asceticism, which severs human beings from their natural condition.
Nadia: I need love. I need someone to tell me that he is in love with me, and that’s all. I have no need for a white dress and a church blessing, but I seem to be the only one among my friends to think this way. They are all afraid of loneliness; if I don’t find someone who understands me deeply, what’s wrong about being alone? But the pressure is so great that I think that I am gong to have to accept it sooner or later, or else my self-esteem will be seriously damaged.
Liz: I’m going to get married in two weeks, and I’ve been talking compulsively about it. What conclusion have I reached? With or without a formal ceremony, a couple will always be what they can be. The only thing that changes is that we will have to disguise our fighting with one another.
Neel P.: I believe that a couple that puts God at the center of their lives will also know where to put marriage where it belongs. Being with another person doesn’t mean making a god of them, this should be seen as part of the divine blessings that affect our lives every day – like love, sex, music, solitude, and even suffering. Marriage is by no means destiny, but rather part of our path, and I am sure that God uses this union for a reason that goes far beyond perpetuating the species.
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