Marriage

            When someone says they are married to someone, what does that really mean? And I don't mean what everybody would typically say when asked this question, what I am really asking is: Aside from all the sentiments one may have, what does it really mean?
            We could claim marriage is what binds one together with another person, but how many times have we witnessed marriages fall apart? How many families have become fragmented by two people who did not particularly understand the meaning of a life commitment?
            This problem with the idea of marriage can be traced back to the ever recurring blunder of human to human given power, a.k.a. what we just covered – Authority.
            Once again, we have certain people designating themselves as priests, when all they are is truly who they are. Then, these people who consider themselves priests claim to wed two people through some supernatural blessing that ties them together until Mr. Death will inevitably part them. However, it would be worth asking ourselves: Exactly how many people have parted each other before death?

            Reality Check: Priests don’t do anything for bringing two people closer together. But how could they? What did we think somebody just like us could do for our relationship anyhow?

            So, this is where the government steps up to the plate, right? Unfortunately, no – this is where the government only further distorts the whole scenario. As if the priest’s hocus-pocus was not enough, the people who consider themselves ‘government’ claim to marry two people with an elaborate paper document.
            Then, when these two people wish to be ‘divorced,’ they are handed not one more, but mountains of these paper documents and drudged through court rooms filled with people claiming to be attorneys; syphoning from them not only their pretend money, but also their time that could have been better spent doing something much more constructive with their lives. In other words, other people drag each other through human hell consisting of verbal expositions laden with ink splashed souveniers just so they may attempt to live a little better.

            Now, before we complete this full circuit of marriage, what exactly is this thing we just called divorce? It is the confirmed separation of two people, correct? It is two people parting each other, going separate ways, living the life they choose without that person they had previously ‘married.’
            Or, in other words, divorce is merely two people saying good-bye (perhaps a bit forcefully, and on occasion mixed in with an encore of expletives mind you, but a good-bye nonetheless).

            ...“Ohhh... but it is much more complicated,” you say. So much more complicated than just saying good-bye. That is, in fact, why we have that crazy government sponsored divorce process, isn’t it?

            Well, reality check #five: Divorce is only an ‘officialized’ situation of needlessly complex hoopla created by our fellow human beings that has somehow become customary in our questionably structured society.

            So, let us pose the question one more time: What does it really mean to be married to someone? And now let me tell you: in the most beneficial and liberating sense of the words: Absolutely nothing. The auditory ramblings of someone in a cloak and a few well formed splashes of ink on paper do not do anything for binding two human creatures together.
           On the contrary, our relationships are much more than they are perceived to be. They do not exist as a label or static entity as our culture would like us to believe. The connections we make with each other have so much more depth and dynamics than that. It's just up to us to make the most of them.
           It's up to us to create more than what has already been created for us. Instead of limiting ourselves with ‘dating,’ ‘engagements,’ and ‘weddings,’ we should use our full potential to celebrate our dedication to each other in each moment and in as many authentic ways possible. No more worthless paperwork, no more gatherings of hocus-pocus. We're better than that. We can arrange our own celebrations and live on our own terms without anybody officializing and providing documentation.

           In summary, we dedicate ourselves to who we choose, where we choose, and for how long we choose. If two people find it agreeable, then they should very well put forth the effort to choose the same person over and over again in a mutually chosen location, regardless of all difficulties imposed upon the relationship.
           However, reality is a little more complex than our good intentions, so this does not always work out for everyone. In cases as such, the situation may require some revision so as to allow for future growth of all parties involved. Should that happen, and surely it will, what takes place afterward should only be mutual encouragement to find that which makes their lives better. No need for any labels like ‘divorce’ here, just pure genuine encouragement.

           And speaking of unnecessary labels, that leads into our next topic...

(Continue to Religion)