yes! I think marriage is an antiquated affair. people say the institute of marriage is being insulted by the gays and the common laws, but marriage came a looong time after human beings, and it wasnt just because it was civilized, it was a way to trade women around like objects and ensure a nice friendly non coveting neighborhood. but before that we had many sexual partners freely long in life, and now our society is backwards because people truly want the latter but everyone still see's the former as their only choice if they want to fit in and have their relationship "justified by god and family". if your in love and you want to be with someone then be with them, it doesnt have to be on a peice of paper for you to know it exists, till death, what if you become unhappy? things change and we have to accept this. making it a huge hassel to move on does not make it easier on society it just makes us more depressed. i would feel just as happy with my man common law only for tax purposes and otherwise known as his parner until we part, dead or alive.

no. divorce stats are so high because people who have reconcidered the entire concept into something different (just a glorified BF/GF relationship) are getting married. people who do not believe in the treditional marriage should not be getting married. My soon to be ex wife thought she believed in marriage but after running away with BF#3 I could no longer remain bound to her.

No. We should reconsider the entire concept of divorce. If we got rid of the monetary reward to females divorce rate would plummet.

I recently read that 65% of Marriages and Living Together relationships end up in Divorce or breaking Up nowdays ... I believe that before a couple moves in together / gets married etc . that they should be required to take a MARRIAGE Class / Course ... that last about FOUR Weeks ... I believe that many would back out of the marriage / moving in together etc ... and also lighten the family courts dockets .. +5

What I had in mind when I posted this question was consideration of some type of contractual relationship which permits the parties to have a partnership contract for a specified period, with options to renew on an annual basis. Or something like that. Just a thought.

Do you think since 100 percent of humanity eventually dies, we should reconsider the concept of procreation?

People getting married have a very distorted picture of what they're actually getting into. I've always maintained that marriage should be treated like the legal partnership it is, rather than a religious ceremony.

Perhaps, I think some of the problems are a lot of people rush into marriage before they are sure they truly wish to be together for life. Some marry for the wrong reasons, such as a pregnancy. Another problem is people change and grow, some grow closer together and some grow apart. You can never know how people will change. The reason you did not see divorce in the past is because it was either frowned upon or forbidden in many faiths. People just stayed together and suffered. Some people do not nurture their relationship or communicate when things are of concern. I married for life, though I always thought if I fell out of love I had the option to leave if I chose. I can see the concept being I chose to build a life with you and commit to making it happy for as long as we can or till death which ever comes first. But that does not sound very romantic. Most people in love can't imagine spending their life without the person so that is why they commit to a life long relationship. Another issue is religion, many religions believe that marriage is a commitment to care for and love each other for life, as handed down as a commandment from God. The concept has obviously changed due to the fact the 50% of marriages do end in divorce.

100% of lives end in death, perhaps we should stop living

Hard to say. I believe in marriage and have been married over 27 years as has my brother and sister. My parents were married 53 until my father passed away. Perhaps peoples expectations are not quite correct or people are a little too self focused in today's material world. Look at life through other's eyes and you will be happier.

After we get the idea that sex & reliable birth control should be available to all made into a universal concept, then we can change the relationship laws. Maybe temporary contracts to start. When the contract ends it can be renewed, walked away from with no hard feelings, or made permanent.

No, yu should jz reconsider the types of choices yu make, and how long yu actually spent thinking abt them.

No, but we should be concerned about emotional maturity.

The marriage does not last longer beause both the husband and wife would like to have the same freedom as before they got married and sometime they do not have better understanding ,and some of them get married just for sex and this does not last long.

Or we all could just "lease" for the first two years with the options to buy or trade at the end of the contract. Think that would work better?

Nope. I think marriage should be taken more seriously.

There's a preconception in that viewpoint that divorce is bad. It represents failure, and everybody knows failure is bad. It means you were wrong to get married in the first place, it invalidates your marriage... at least, that's the preconception. But who says? Who says that it means all that? Certainly when people get married they should look down the road seriously, consider the changes that life presents, and take their vows seriously. But if you had 5 or 10 good years together, and then it started to go downhill, who's to say that it's a disaster to end it? Painful, perhaps. Expensive. Disruptive. But not necessarily bad. Life is about growing and changing. It's about becoming one person, and then outgrowing that person and shedding it and becoming a newer, more authentic version of yourself. And then doing that again, and again, and again. If you ever stop doing that, you have stopped living, in a certain sense... you're going through the motions. That kind of change inevitably is disruptive and uncomfortable and painful, but it's also liberating and fulfilling and honest. And sometimes it means the thing you were sure about 10 years ago no longer makes much sense in hindsight. In such cases, divorce may well be the exact right thing -- and it doesn't mean you were wrong to get married, it means that part of the road is done, and one must be wise enough to let go and start the next stretch.

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abe Lincoln

That's like saying that the other 50% don't deserve to be married, and they should rethink it. Since most people get into a car accident in their life, should they stop driving? Since most people's hair turn gray, should they just shave it off? There is no way to predetermine if your relationship will go south at some point (for MOST relationships*) if you could predict this, many people might choose to not go through it at all. Some people cherish even failed relationships, as often something positive and worthwhile came from them (friendship, children etc) The concept of marriage is to be faithful, honest, loving and accepting of your mate, regardless of the circumstance. I don't think that should be reconsidered, just because some people can't manage it, don't like it, fall out of love, choose to cheat, or whatever caused their marriage to fail. I think that it is the responsibility of each partner in a marriage to do what they can to make it work. All marriages weren't meant to be. Some people don't realize they're not compatible until it's too late. Some people don't move in with eachother until after marriage, and then realize that their spouse _____ (fill in the blank) and decides that they can't take it. (personally, I think that's just the bad that comes with the good... my husband snores, has sleep apnea, kicks in his sleep, sleeps with the window open, even in the dead of winter..you name it! but I'd NEVER consider leaving him for those reasons.) That said, I DO think that it is a wise idea to live with someone, even for a couple weeks, to see what it is like (even if you choose to abstain from sex for religious reasons) as that can give you a much better idea of what life will be like with them. If them not covering their mouth when they sneeze, leaving their underwear on the floor, don't wash dishes, bleach black clothes.... whatever it is... is too much to deal with, there is still the option to back out prior to marriage. If you are in a marriage that is failing, I think that going thru couples therapy (and perhaps individual) to see if it's possible to mend the relationship should be mandatory, as it is usually required to go thru some sort of marriage counseling when you get married.

Yes, it should be made illegal to live together or be married prior to age 24. Should We Live Together? What Young Adults Need to Know about Cohabitation before Marriage David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead Rutgers University Study Cohabiting couples breakup three times more than married couples. Cohabiting couples that later marry have a 46% higher rate of divorce than those who did not cohabit prior to marriage. http://marriage.rutgers.edu/Publications/SWLT2%20TEXT.htm http://tinyurl.com/RightAgeToMarry-2