MARRIAGE IN THE FUTURE: WHAT WE ALLOW IS WHAT WILL CONTINUE

The United States of America Supreme Court recently passed the same sex marriage legislation into law with considerable excitement around the world. There is also an ongoing appeal to the rest of the world ‎including Nigeria to acknowledge the rights of people of same sex to be together forever. 

Marriage by its original definition is the legal, emotional, and sexual act of commitment between two beings. These days, there is a dramatic shift in the definition of marriage as all the boundaries and values around it have been challenged and struck down at their very root. We are gradually witnessing a revolution that has never been experienced before and marriage is becoming an institution where anything is possible.

If we examine the patterns of marriage in the last 50 years, we would note profound alterations and there is growing expectation that these changes will become more dramatic in the next 50 years. The institution of marriage will continue to be diluted and the bond between matrimony, sex and family will further be depleted as the years go by.

Marriage in the future will undoubtedly become more virtual, which will allow couples who are separated by distance to fully explore their relationship. With the ease of access to online relationships, sex and desire will be more commingled with technology than ever. It will be easier to have a marriage on cyberspace without necessarily waking up next to the person in bed every morning.

A day will come when marriage between humans and robots will become legal. This is been muted as the cure for people who are looking for true love and companionship and unable to find it either because they are too shy, insecure or mentally challenged. It will also be a relief for those who are not keen on taking emotional chances. There will be less investment in time, money and emotion, and zero risk of heartbreak. 

There would not be any more regulation to the “species” of marriage partners. Legal recognition will be extended to people who may choose to legally marry any animals of their choice. Humans will gradually lose faith and trust in fellow humans and end up settling for animals. 

In the future, marriage will no longer defined by gender, but by love and the desire to commit regardless of sexual orientation. Two gender diverse people of any identification (pedophile, heterosexuals, and bisexuals) will be legally allowed to marry anyone they love and commit to for the rest of their lives. So when someone announces they are getting married, the concern for family members will be more on the gender of their prospective in-law than anything else.

More couples will decide to live together without getting legally married. They will be free to create their own marriage contracts, whether written or oral, obvious or implied. There will be well defined renewable marriage contracts. A renewable marriage would be defined by the partners according to their own most realistic expectations. These agreements will last for a certain period, after which they will either be annulled or renewed, depending on how well the marriage works for both of them.

Marriage will no longer be a guarantee of sexual fidelity as spouses can expect adultery to be a normal part of their lives. The integrity of marriages will be maintained through emotional commitment and not sexual exclusivity. Open relationships will be more common with varying degrees of sexual agreements, as couples will be open to loving and being loved by more than one person. Commitment would be based on mutual needs rather than true love and there will be less motivation to stay with just one partner.

Divorce will become so prevalent, that it would be normal for couples to think about divorce from the altar. The system of divorce will also be transformed and it will be less painful and acrimonious. Rituals like 'conscious uncoupling,' or 'divorcing with integrity' will be prevalent to justify a divorce or preserve the couple’s mutual respect. Marriage will no longer be assumed to be a lifetime commitment.

Finally, in a society where freedom has no limits, the future of marriage is rather precarious. In 2050, when your son or daughter walks into the living room to announce that they are getting married, your question will be “What are you getting married to”?. What we allow is what will continue. 

Photo Credit: Positivemed.com