One man’s drink is another man’s poison! There are many differences between marriage and slavery, but I believe that marriage in many fashions is very comparable to slavery. Individuals that desire marriage, as opposed to having long term monogamous commitments on good faith, want to be slaves and to have a slave in return. Marriage is comparable to slavery not just because of the insane, not hope but “demand” of absolute monogamy, enforced by the legal system on penalty of losing property and being marked officially as an adulterer; but because similar to a slave, what is your property becomes their property. To a certain degree the loss of individuality amounts to very similar feelings of obligation and sacrifice that can be associated with slavery.
The problem, as I see it, begins with people pervasively pursuing marriage as a goal. Despite their healthier needs and desires, this cultural virus running in the background is messing up their program. Rather than looking for a compatible partner they search for a slave, which means they will seek out someone who triggers dependency more than a respectful relationship. Unfortunately for this reason people tend to settle, which ultimately leads to unhappiness and feelings of regret. There are guys married to women who deprive them of sex and treat them like money machines. In return, those guys tend to break the scared rule of monogamy due to mixed up feelings and therefore a lack of positive communication. In retrospect, there are women who are married to guys that deprive them of simple freedoms. For example, they may not be allowed to associate with certain people of their family and friends due to feelings of insecurity. Husbands feel that the wives would be brain washed into leaving even though there were no genuine reasons to do so. My parents mainly got legally married due to the fact that they were pregnant with me, but because of this arrangement; it cost my mother a life time of friends and personal goals. I would gather that a slave also sacrifices personal goals, family, and friends. Marriage is a three-ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering! Love is love, and marriage is neither love nor an expression of love; it’s a legal contract.
Those, for whom marriage is actually meaningful, don’t require a contract of any sort to share the feelings and emotions associated with marriage. They also share core ethics and values and don’t treat each other like slaves. They respect one another as individuals with choices, one choice of which is to leave. There are people that have been together for numerous years being exclusive to only each other without any contracts, ceremonies, or anything else associated with the idea of marriage. Their relationships are healthy, loving, and fulfilling. When asked why they choose to keep the relationship untitled by the name of marriage, their reply is simply “we love each other deeply and we do not need any formal arrangement to express our feelings for one another.” The question is, is it really this simple? I believe it is and don’t see the need to complicate things.
Marriage serves certain purposes, mainly legal, and does provide many civil benefits to people who do so; like tax benefits, housing benefits, and sometimes military benefits. Overall, marriage does not constitute anything but a contract between two consenting people. There is a difference when it comes to slavery, as in the slave is not a consenting party. However, if you’re blinded by misleading feelings and emotions when entering a marriage there is a strong possibility that much like a slave you will inherit feelings of captivity and suffering. As the saying goes, “be careful for what you wish for.”