Do you think marriage is necessary to have a happy, fulfilled life? Do you think it’s necessary for effectively raising children? Do you consider it a moral responsibility? What do you think?

Today, I’m bringing Dina back on the show to talk about whether or not marriage is really necessary. We’re digging into two opposing views that people take, and trying to understand the right answer.

For some, marriage is a confining thing. It ties you down, keeps you from doing what you really want, and makes you feel trapped. But for others, it is an incredibly freeing thing, where you are now completely free to do what you want without the pressure of continually finding new people to date, with increased security, and sharing a life with someone we cares deeply about you.

Listen to this conversation to get the ins and outs of where we stand on the issue, and then please let us know your thoughts! Tweet @JamesSwanwick and start a discussion! See you over there!

Key Takeaways

• Marriage should not be a confining thing, it should be freeing. It should support you and give you freedom, not tie you down
• Marriage difficulties, or lack of any marriage with those raising children, can often contribute to psychological issues a child will have to deal with later on in life. Some would say that marriage is a solution, others would say that better relationships are the only answer and that the decision to marry or not to plays no role in it
• Most marriages that last long-term tend to have people involved who talk about things like “marrying your best friend,” not necessarily the person that you fall madly in love with
• Be careful not to make any big decisions during the first approximately 3-month “infatuation phase.”
• But also be careful about long periods of infatuation. It can be dangerous
• Pay attention to what other people are saying about your relationships. Don’t let them define you, but also listen carefully to what they say
• It’s easy to get “addicted” to the first infatuation phase of relationships, and not ever being able to get past that and into the deeper phase
• Make sure you don’t settle for a marriage, for reasons like getting older, etc. But rather because you are confident in the decision

Resources

“Project Everlasting” by Matthew Boggs

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