This question has bothered me since eons and I am sure many of us must have thought about it at some point of time.
To all those 20-somethings who are apparently of “marriageable age” (especially those who have a couple of tip-top rishtas lined up for them), does marriage really make you settled? Why is marriage treated as a goalpost? Is marriage really that necessary?
I asked a couple of people about their views on marriage and why they wanted to get married. The most common reply was, “I can’t live alone”, which according to me is the worst reason to get married (if you can’t enjoy your company, how can you expect anyone else to). There were few who felt that it is a necessity (because that is what we hear throughout our lives), still fewer who wanted to get married because they genuinely wanted to spend the rest of their lives with the one they truly love.
Since childhood we are conditioned to believe in the ritualistic cycle: birth, education, job (optional), marriage (compulsory), kids(pota-poti ka muh bhi toh dekhna hai)et al. without giving it a thought, doing it just for the sake of it.
People are getting married for all the wrong reasons. From societal to parental pressure all these witless reasons are contributing to marriage, which should not be the case. This leads to unhappy marriages and in many cases divorce.
Also the infamous “umar nikal rahi hai” dialogue which is heard gazillion times, marriage has more to do with your state of mind than age. If you are prepared to get married at 22, great go ahead. If you are not prepared even at 32 or 42, don’t go for it. Take your time, introspect before you take the big leap. If you have any doubts, even the tiniest of doubt, clear it. Marriage is not a game to be taken frivolously.
Marriage is a life-long bond of trust, respect and stability between two individuals which should empower them rather than trapping them.