Was at Settlers' cafe for our dept retreat. It was a super unhealthy 2-day session for me lor. I ate so many sotong balls & fried stuff. Interestingly, during one of our tea-breaks,we gathered in our cliques for discussions and it led us to a very serious topic on Marriage. Being the youngest amongst d group, i listen and "absorb" (like a sponge) some of their pointers in life. Heex. A summary of views..
The Singles' view- Happiness
The Singles in the group have expressed their happiness of staying Single. Being financially independant & having no need to contribute to d family (as compared to married) has given them the options of the finer things in life. They enjoy their freedom of going to the gym, dine well, travelling to see d world without havin to worry for the spouse and children. Growing older also means they will not settle for less. As long as you have loads of frens to stand by you and bring you thr' the lonely times, you will have no probs.
The Married Ones - Bliss or Regrets?
I kid you not. Being Married and having children can be a real nightmare if you are not ready.Whilst some remain very positive on the notion of a perfect marriage & family, some expressed unhappiness.And unhappiness usually comes with reasons like "if i had known this comes wif so much responsibility" "if i had married later" "if i had no children" "if i had married someone else" etc. They lose out a portion of their time to taking care of d family, hence which means lesser time to pamper themselves, cultivate an interest or simply jus do the things you love.
Conclusion- Choices in life
1) Do not get pressurized to get hitched for the wrong reasons such as "too tired of dating jerks/bitches", "societal pressure", "getting older so must settle down" "all my frens are getting married!" "my parents stressing me to get married" etc.
2) In the later years, as compared to those happily married ones, you may die a lonely death becos you have no children!
3) Since life is short, do you want to be self-centred, max out yr life and enjoy all you can? Or would you risk settling down with a partner that might possibly be the One who would go thr' thick & thin with you and love you, or might jus turn out to be someone who may possibly screw up ur whole life?
Being pragmatic people here, it does seem like there's a whole lot more benefits to staying Single, at least, less risk.
Dont get me wrong. I still strongly believe in Marriage & Love. Jus that it takes a whole lot more than jus feelings of Love to make a marriage last. It takes effort, patience and commitment to see through a lifetime. And its true, there are certain things that frens jus cant give. A simple hug/kiss or compliment from your spouse (or loved ones) may jus make your day.
If only love & marriage was simple & pure like this ( in blibical terms):
"...Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. "
BLACK&WHITE