MARRIAGE: AN OUTDATED INSTITUTION
Mae West, in her fascinating self, once quoted, ‘Marriage is a fine institution, but I do not want an institution.’
‘Marriage’ is an institution that has been around the world for centuries now. It is, in definition, the union of man and woman, on legal and emotional grounds. Carried out in various ways in different parts of the world, it binds both partners in a bond that is ‘socially acceptable’. But I disagree. The circumstance of marriage is being blindly carried forward year after year. As a part of the developing youth, I strongly believe that the institution of marriage is gradually hollowing out.
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As we penetrate deep in into the closely-knit fabric of Indian and western cultures alike, it has been mindlessly supposed, that a wedding is the ultimate base of an unwavering relationship that is acknowledged by the state and by whatever religion the couple choose to follow, as well as providing a good environment to raise their children.
However, with modernization shooting up and overtaking the world speedily, matrimony is leisurely being surpassed by alternatives like living together, or premarital cohabitation. If we view the habitation graph in the western part of the world, the trending cultures are emerging as independent and optimistic civilizations that broad-mindedly accept the idea of living together without the legal tag of ‘newly-weds’ to categorize them.
But if we look at our own Indian culture, the change is painfully slow. Toying with the idea of a changing approach in the community is human nature, as we accustom ourselves to traditions that have been widespread for years, but it wouldn’t really kill, to open or minds to bigger and better lifestyles, because, as we delve into an analysis of separation rate in our country, it is clear that the rate is increasing fast, which is a shameful fact, but also an eye-opener. Recurring cases of divorce, where both partners found that the other had nothing to offer them spiritually or intellectually, is proof of changing mindsets, that earlier quoted marriage as an integral part of one’s identity. With a radical deterioration in the adherence to wedding norms, the concept of marriage is slowly wearing out and losing its charm.
Also, with a changing approach, the perception of premarital intercourse is also gradually evolving. Today, self-sufficient individuals do not shy away from engaging in intercourse that is, as assumed, ‘not approved by society’.
Lastly, as I conclude, I challenge statements that lie in favor of an institution that will, in future, tamper with the growth of an emerging and developing nation. Metamorphosis is the need of the hour, for the gradual emergence of a modernized lifestyle.
