Is an unconventional marriage the key to marital bliss?

I've seen what 'traditional' marriage does to people and none of them have been what I'd call happy. Yelling, abuse, eventual (if not immediate) disdain of one another, etc. Many of them were also marriages for the sake of children conceived out of wedlock. These observations undoubtedly fucked with my perception of marriage and left me to completely reject the notion for many years. I've only recently considered alternatives and the underlying problems in such relationships so as to avoid the same fate.

Regarding this:

'Because our lives are not focused on survival, we often have two strong individuals with unique outlooks building a life together. And that's where the challenges start.'

I agree. And that strong partner is someone I would want in a marriage because one must be willing to enjoy the good times and the difficulties. In this sense, marriage is still about a partnership for mutual survival and success. But it's become evident to me that two strong individuals can't join in this way and be content unless they cultivate their own individual worlds. Separate interests, separate time, separate successes and losses. Then, when they're together, they can share what they've learned and relish each other's presence all the more.
 
I'm sayin'. Good to face the facts and start early.
 
I think that society will evolve regardless. All the points the author made in the article were valid. Especially about how it is so easy to get bored and blah, blah, blah. However, the basic need to forge relationships with others and the biological imperative to procreate will always influence people to gravitate toward relationships.

I dunno, maybe I am just a sentimental fool. I never thought marriage was about how you lived but how you built a life together with someone--that the two people involved had the choice on what kind of life they were going to live.
 
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