Defining marriage through dictionary.com the first item you will find is:
mar·riage
[mar-ij]a. the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc. Antonyms: separation.
b.a similar institution involving partners of the same gender: gay marriage. Antonyms: separation.So we get that part it's an institution which enjoins two people legally, religiously, or both. (I'm sure it was only until recently circa 2000s that part b. was listed). Keyword: Institution.
Moving on to other defintions:
2. the state, condition, or relationship of being married; wedlock: a happy marriage. Synonyms: matrimony. Antonyms: single life, bachelorhood, spinsterhood, singleness; separation.
3. the legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of two people to live as a married couple, including the accompanying social festivities: to officiate at a marriage. Synonyms: nuptials, marriage ceremony, wedding. Antonyms: divorce, annulment.
4.a relationship in which two people have pledged themselves to each other in the manner of a husband and wife, without legal sanction: trial marriage.
5. any close or intimate association or union: the marriage of words and music in a hit song. Synonyms: blend, merger, unity, oneness; alliance, confederation. Antonyms: separation, division, disunion, schism.
Keywords in those defintions: two, pledged, intimate association, union
However, if you were to ask a majority of Americans how they felt about marriage they would have such a negative perspective and probably wouldn't associate marriage with the keywords listed. They would probably be more inclined to associate marriage with the antonyms (the exact OPPOSITE of the definition)- separation, divorce, annulment, division, disunion
When people bring up marriage, the topics of discussion are failed celebrity marriages, high divorce rates, the question if homosexual couples should be allowed to marry, and instead of regarding it as an institution belittle it to the status of a piece of paper. They're never usually stories of successful marriages which has now been currently gauged as making it to at least five years to ten years.
Maybe we should stop and question ourselves: Could our high divorce rates be due to our negative and bleak views on marriage. No one sees marriage as this keyword: intimate association especially as we watch Bridezillas be more concerned about their dress, cake, and money than actually institution of marriage itself. They only see one when instead they should see the keyword: two.
We should also stop and question ourselves why we oppose gay marriage so much when it seems that even straight couples take it for granted. "Gay couples will destroy the institution of marriage" a common phrase constantly expressed when speaking in opposition of allowing gay marriages. If we can allow Kim Kardashian to marry for whatever reason whether it was for love or publicity, then why is it we can't allow two people who are actually in love to get married and actually stay married?
We've lost sight of the true definition of marriage and all that it entails and for what? To be amused by multiple failed celebrity marriages? To overspend on marriages we can't afford and then to ultimately overspend on divorce lawyers? To avoid marriage just because of what we see around us or believe sometimes inflated divorce statistics?
Put simply: We don't value marriage and we laugh about it only to turn around point and judge our gay population for wanting to do something we ourselves don't even take seriously.
If we change our views, our attitudes, our beliefs or if we take the keywords of marriage and actually see marriage for what it really is and not what it's portrayed to be. Then just maybe we can save ourselves the trouble and live happily ever in love, but if not then until divorce do us part.
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