Marriage Exists in Nearly All Societies
The institution of marriage is a very old one. Even in the earliest accounts of human history there are references to men taking wives and vice versa. So ingrained a tradition is it that people who do not take a spouse may be considered strange by their peers. That being said, it is true that in most societies around the world there is not an actual civic duty to get married.
In history there are many instances of men or women being married off to someone they do not know very well yet. Often it was the case that a betrothal of this sort served to address some political or economic function, and would result in the reinforcement of bonds between two families.
An arranged relationship, usually determined by the parents of both members of a couple even before they are adults, may still be a popular activity in some parts of the world. Though this may appear to contradict some of the romantic and liberated notions of love and spousal arrangements in some people’s minds, the truth is that some couples in these arrangements are perfectly happy with their situation. Sometimes knowing who their husband or wife will be long before actually committing their lives to them can be reassuring to some, especially if the idea of finding a mate for themselves is daunting or unappealing in some way.
The tradition of wedlock serves several sociological, psychological, and anthropological purposes. The actual manifestation of the concept of betrothal is subject to influence from many different sources, and these may include diverse elements such as social standing, religious sentiment and compatibility thereof, and sexual orientation. While virtually every society on the planet engages in matrimony, they do so in their own ways and according to their own traditions.
Having a spouse can be one of the more fulfilling things in a person’s life. The emotional support, intimacy, and closeness available in most wedded couple’s lives is often given as one of the primary reasons for this arrangement.
In the western world, and in other places besides, the state of wedlock need not be a permanent one. It might be true that the increased emphasis on personal choice and fulfillment leads to situations in which one or both members of a couple desire to find someone new, perhaps someone better, to spend their remaining years with.
Cultural relativism warns that it is never appropriate to assume that a foreign society will hold the same priorities and value systems as one’s own. Though the systems of social interaction may be superficially close in some aspects, the actual practice of these customs tend to be rife with subtleties and implications unknown to the outside observer.
For centuries and all over the world, men and women have paired up together in monogamous partnerships. Marriage, and the recognition thereof, is a fundamental cornerstone of most human societies. No matter how it is performed or what trappings are associated with it however, the basic idea remains the same around the globe.
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Category: Marriage
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