In these modern times it seems that the concept of marriage is becoming rather old fashioned. We live in a fast paced world of disposable commodities and instant solutions which seems to be contrary to working at a long term relationship and then you have the modern society’s relationship with the church and religion. So is marriage still important to us? Let’s take a look and find out.
For those who still believe in marriage it is clear that they want to wait a little longer before they tie the knot than past generations. This may be viewed by some as an indicator of a lessening interest in getting married but others would argue that it’s a good thing that people take the time to make sure that they have found the right person who they want to spend the rest of their life with and not just rushing into it. This shows a respect for marriage but this respect is not shared by all. We’re Getting Married Older.
Bad Celebrity Example
When it comes to respecting the sanctity of marriage celebrities have a lot to answer for. There are countless short lived celebrity marriages that gain lots of publicity, often the pop stars and actors involved have only known each other for a short while and have rushed into getting married and then they rush into divorce equally quickly when it doesn’t work out. This sets a terrible example to the rest of the world who look up to these people as role models and it is telling of our modern societies inability to work at something and attempt to fix it when the easier option is just to give up and move on.
Do We Mean Our Vows?
It is true that society in general is becoming less religious and reliant on the church and so can we still trust that people who decide to get married and make vows to God actually believe in what they are saying? Do people abstain from adultery because they have made a promise in front of God or is it their own morale code that keeps them from straying? Many people would argue that they don’t need to make vows in a church to prove how much they love each other and choose to remain unmarried partners their whole lives. So is the church’s lack of influence a factor in the falling number of marriages?
It’s Still A Fairy-tale Ending
For the majority of us and especially women marriage is still a fairy-tale day where we get to dress up and declare our love in front of all our friends and family and as long as this is the case there will still be weddings but are we willing to work at the marriage when all of the glamour has gone and real life kicks in? Time will only tell if marriage as an institution will last but for now it’s still alive.
Noel Jones is a wedding photographer. He has taken wedding photo album pictures at hundreds of weddings and he hopes that most of them have lasted.
