Over the years, many socialists have come up with different meanings for it. However, marriage is a socially sanctioned union between two or more people as partners in a personal relationship regulated by-laws, rules, customs, beliefs and attitudes that prescribe and describe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring ( if any).
A lot of interest is being shown in marriage because it is the marriage that creates family and the family is the basic unit of society.
Generally, there are three (3) keys to marriage, and they all seem difficult to forge.
The first of it is communication. It is said that communication is the secret of a successful marriage. This is similar to saying peace is the answer to war. It’s true. However, there is no point in saying such. Human determination to not communicate with each other is often fascinating beyond measure. Just right to say that good communication requires determination, goodwill, practice, and a considerable amount of inborn talent.
The second factor is respect, which in several ways is more essential than love. Love will come and go. However, respect remains and often provides the space for love to flourish again after certain lows. This is bound to come in all long marriages sooner or later.
The third factor is trust. And generally, this is the hardest of all. Not just in marriage but in every relationship. Because if you have ever been let down, reconstructing the trust is hard. This isn’t about unfaithfulness, but several small matters such as bad intentions, broken promises, frustrated hopes, and more.
In marriage, you have to trust your partner, even though you have no guarantee you won’t be let down. However, if you’re let down, don’t hesitate to trust again, and then again. You must keep doing this as long as you are humanly able to, and your marriage will either stand or fall on it. In marriage, you need to learn to forget and forget again any perceived mistreatment and hurts. Dragging the weight of the past behind you will drag you down in the end.
Generally, marriage is an evolving process, a living thing, and if you stop feeding it with these existential nutrients, it’ll finally fade away. Laziness and complacency are what kills marriage, far more than lack of love, and that is why it is usually described as hard work. However, no work is ultimately more rewarding.
Functions and Purposes of Marriage
● Sexual gratification and regulation
● Division of labour between the sexes
● Economic production and consumption
● Satisfaction of personal needs
● Procreation which is perhaps the biggest societal function of a marriage
● Care of children and their education
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Marital Laws and Customs
The main legal function of marriage is to certify that the rights of all partners concerning one another are not being trampled upon. It also defines the relationships and expectations of the children within the community including their rights of inheritance.
Common Challenges in Marriages
● Communication problems
● Ignoring boundaries
● Little or no sexual intimacy
● Value differences
● Money issues
● Bad habits
Final Take
Marriage is a life commitment and you don’t want to spend the rest of your life with someone you abhor so make sure you look before taking the giant leap.