Hello, Doug--I'm so very happy to hear that you've been able to find a woman to be in a healthy, happy relationship with! I'm guessing, but could be wrong, but it almost sounds like that you had a bad experience with marriage. I'm so glad you were willing to be 'daring' enough to try again at relationships instead of giving up altogether. What you've written here illustrates the point I hoped to make with this article: You are happy now, in part, it seems, because you're with someone who believes as you do that marriage is an unnecessary gamble. It would seem--again, guessing here--that you wouldn't have as happy a relationship if your partner didn't match you on this very critical belief. So the overarching point seems to be: Those who believe marriage is crap may be best-suited having relationships with someone who also believes marriage is crap. For those who believe these reasons for getting re-married are not "terrible", they might be better-suited having relationships who also share the belief that these reasons are not terrible.

I've got to get going--got some grading to do:(--but here's my last thought: You wrote that there are 5 reasons that people get married, that the reason that people get married is because 1) they want and depend on the false security the state and the church provide; 2) they're ignorant; 3) they're afraid; 4) they won't stand up for themselves; 5) they're lazy. I'd just like to suggest that one word be added to your declaration: Some. "Some" people...get married for the reasons you've listed herein. Some don't. I just wouldn't want to over-generalize.