Transthought

Marriage and Weddings -- Dilemma?

There is a wedding in our family today. Weddings have been much in the news recently, particularly same-sex couples. The Christian Century had an article on an even more contemporary kind of relationship, polyamatory. There are advocates for all kinds of causes these days and so long as humanity exists, I suppose, there will be causes to defend, advocate, war against, etc.

To my way of thinking I wonder why marriage is so important. Heterosexuals (as we are called) have made a mess of the institution what with all the news about divorce, scandal, alimony, single-parenting, and what other ills have emerged from this reckless treatment of a once sacred institution. Why folks are clamoring to get into this melee is beyond me. But, of course, there are advantages to being married, I suppose, the main one being the legality or the endorsement of the State which enables folks to acquire certain benefits they might not otherwise have. It is unfair to those in permanent relationships not to be able to have insurance, hospital visitation rights, decision-making, estate, etc. as do many other people.

This polyamatory thing could make it all very interesting indeed. More than two people in some kind of relationship to which all parties agree makes for interesting considerations. I think it is similar to, but different from, the communes of earlier times, or polygamy, but I am not familiar enough with it to know for sure what constitutes polyamatory and what is just wild abandon!

In any case, we live in different times from the Victorians. How it all comes out, if it does, will be fascinating to watch. In the meantime, we have a wedding in the family today, one that not many in the family are happy about, and some who have travelled to get here could not really afford to do so. Why must brides insist on such expensive affairs? It makes eloping seem like a wise course. At least it is here and we did not have to travel for it, all we had to do was entertain house guests which we enjoy because it brought the grandchildren here from Vermont. (Not to mention our daughter and her husband!)

Wayne's Words for July 29, 2006

posted by Wayne Olson @ 8:41 AM