AquaVita

Why the emphasis on "marriage" anyway? I've been living with my finace for two years now, and are pretty much married in every sense of the word. We co-sign for things, have joint accounts and share everything. We've simply yet to do the legal thing untill we can both make time for a proper honey-moon.

I would ask...Do relationships make people more happy?

Well, like anything else, that depends on the people, and who you ask. People should not expect to find fulfillment in their life, which is otherwise empty, in someone else. I feel that it's important to find self-worth before you factor someone else into the equation.

DRFseven

As a person happily married for 32 years, I'd say marriage doesn't "make you" happy; rather if you know how to be happy, marriage can be a great pleasure.

DRFseven

As a person happily married for 32 years, I'd say marriage doesn't "make you" happy; rather if you know how to be happy, marriage can be a great pleasure.

fonzarelli

It makes me happy to live out my life with the lady I have married.

Whether we have a certificate to say we are married or not is irrelivant when it comes to our levels of happiness on a daily basis, although our wedding day (and honeymoon) were extremely joyful days (and nights). If the idea of marriage wasn't ever thought up, and only 'long term partners' existed in this world, I would be equally has happy as long as I was with the lady who is standing here next to me

southernhybrid

I don't think marriage in and of itself can make anyone happy. My first marraige was a living hell. My current marriage or 21 years is blissful. I think there is probably a natural and cultural tendancy for people to couple. When both members of a couple give each other love and adoration along with respect and consideration that certainly is an important factor to being happy. A successful marraige reguires a high level of maturity and the ability to compromise.

VonEvilstein

Given that, in my case, the only way my True Love (Polish) and I (British) could be together in the country of our choice (the Netherlands), without first having to spend a year apart waiting for the beaurocracy, was to get married in Poland...

My marriage has made me very, very happy indeed!

Loren Pechtel

Well, personally I regard marriage as an unwarranted government intrusion into what should be a private matter.
I think I would have married anyway for her feelings but the real reason was marriage was the only way to get permission for her to stay here.

Putney Swope

Thank you for the props, darlin'. Our marriage has been good because of our mutual respect and consideration. So-Hy and I have just 2 rules for a sucessful marriage.

1. Don't Sweat the small stuff.

2. It's all small stuff.

Live by those 2 rules and never go to bed angry.

THREE. We have just THREE rules for a sucessful marriage...

Sabine Grant

For some the marriage is what makes the relationship happy.... for others, the relationship is what makes the marriage happy.
I have tried the first one for 19 years... it did not work.
The second one is succesful so far.
IMO the marriage is irrelevent as to contributing to happiness if both people are uncompatible and unable to connect emotionaly and intellectualy. One can maintain a front for years for the sake of the children and pertain to act out a role as in a movie. But the internal misery is still there undermining communication, intimacy and the desire to ever be complete.
Maybe people dwell too much on the "love" feeling to assume a marital relationship not considering how important it is to be compatible. To be able to relate to one another.To understand where we are coming from. Love can be eroded by the absence of relating to one another.

Sabine Grant

Dear Kevin... being a christian I understand your comment. However, one must be realistic that we live our relationships here and now. A christian friend of mine married to an abusive man could never achieve the joy God intended for her to have. No matter how much she drew strength from her faith, her life was miserable and is still is today after some 2o years of marriage. The joy she may gather from her relationship with Christ has not prevented the reality to occur including both of her children being raised in a highly dysfunctional home and showing signs of becoming dysfunctional themselves. I do not consider such compromise to be "God's Will".
Some marital relationships can be very destructive even as including christian spouses. People must part at times to prevent further destruction. It is not uncommon for a christian to end a marriage and draw closer to God as a result.
There is such condemnation in the church towards christians who went thru a divorce that the same christians will have to rely on Grace to find the above joy you have mentionned. They have to forgive men for being so judgemental and shelter in the knowledge that God knows the intent of the human mind.
I believe God wants us to have healthy relationships where we grow and our growth results in impacting positively on the lives of many other people.
That is where the Joy resides... to know that we are growing to a better version of ourselves so God can use that version to make a difference in the lives of others.