My wife and I always say that "marriage is an island." What we mean by that is that it is ours and ours alone. We are the only two in it.

I like this idea a lot. A lot of people talk about marriage in terms of dependence, but our relationship has always allowed us in a way more independence. We're self-sufficient. Also, I'm interested how marriage shapes the ocean around us -- how will the world look at me with a ring? How will our friends, the majority unmarried, consider our relationship? Will we end up hanging around more couples now? So far the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Marriage rocks and if you have any friends that tell you otherwise, don't ask them about it anymore.

I will be taking this advice.

But if someone is getting married because they think it is useful, they're fucked.

I see where you're coming from. For us, the functional aspects of marriage inspired the idea to just do it, and I'm more than ok with that. We're trying to move to Toronto early next year, and it's much easier if she's my wife I can sponsor her citizenship. And so we're looking at this option and realizing moving together to a new city, a new country is already in the spirit of marriage. We're trying to build a life together.

Thanks for the thoughts and perspective, thenewgreen. OOC, how long have you been married? I notice a graveness to your thoughts here -- I wonder if a child does that to a marriage, or is it just that you've seen a lot of failed and failing marriages in your time?