Re: John Edwards Admits to Affair
[quote=88Mariner;634276]^this is why marriage is utter bullshit. it's all about luck. not love.
seriously, if marriage didn't exist today, you know that nobody would invent it because "i want to get into a contract with another man/woman and then get the government and the church involved as well". thanks for the laugh tho.[/quote]
Most people in love do eventually want serious commitment from their partner. And they want that commitment to be there through sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, etc. - not just when they are 21 and look hot. And it takes on an even stronger meaning if kids are going to be in the picture. Yes, luck plays a role and things don't always work out...but for most people, love is not just an infatuation, but also a learned, practiced, and [I]committed[/I] behavior.
You can call this commitment "marriage" or whatever else you want. But it is part of human nature and people will always seek it out one way or another.
Also, to digress even further... re: Morality -
You may be free to screw other women while your committed partner is bedridden with cancer, and you can define it as whatever personal "morality" you wish - but just accept that you are not free from the [I]consequences[/I] of doing so. You will end up having to reconcile your own "morality" back to society as a whole for a simple reason: you [I]live[/I] as a part of society, and most of society does not solely define morality on the basis of their own personal preferences, but also on the basis of [I]common social norms[/I]. And so your ex-partner and others around you will rightfully shun you for your behavior...because most of us still believe in the Golden Rule.
Moral relativism: sounds cool on paper, works poorly in practice - unless you either conform your "morality" to key common social norms, or decide to become a hermit.