Que?

Scenario: Anna doesn't want to marry her long-time boyfriend Ben. In fact, she doesn't wanna get married at all. She comes from a broken home. Hmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with her decision. Anyways.

So, Anna and Ben agree that they continue going out, blah blah blah, but no marriage on the horizon. Ever. At least that's what I was told. Now, here comes the turn: they just bought a condo together.

As is usual with my blogs, I bash stupidity and traditions (which are often times one and the same) about the head and shoulders like a madman. Here it comes again. You're living together, you're in an intimate and a monogamous relationship, you made a major purchase together, there's no end to the relationship in the foreseeable future: yup, you're married! I don't care what the courts or the Republicans say. Marriage is not a contract and a piece of paper, it's a state of mind.

Anna, do you not want to get married because you believe that the piece of paper will ruin your life? Cause you certainly don't appear to think that it's anything else that comes with being married. Do you think your parents split up because of a few items of jewelry and a long-winded sermon?

Most people who don't want to get married for the reason of being married usually try to keep distance from the other person in some way: they don't buy houses, they don't get pets (unless the lifetime of that pet is under a year), they certainly don't make commitments for the next 5-10 years. Hell, there are married people that do this. But, like I said, marriage is a state of mind. Two people can be married in the eyes of the state (and your various gods) but basically be two strangers living in the same house. Or not even the same house.

I feel a marriage-bashing post coming up. Soon.