Do not burden the bride’s family on marriage

In today’s world, marriage has become a sacred contract between irrational people rather than a holy agreement between 2 souls. Moreover, it has become a commercial institution. Here, in this article, I would like to express my thoughts on how the interpretation of law about marriage could benefit humanity and save the institution of marriage. 

According to law, marriage is a meeting of 2 souls where there should be absolute consent from both parties. Whereas when we witness a wedding in today’s world, it’s not at all relevant for rational living. In all the generations, it has become a custom or a culture or rather a belief to adjust and live with the codes of the society. This custom in practice is codified as living for society. It has now totally become that, to please and satisfy the society, one must live and work hard. Individual rationality is sinking day by day. We have interference from the government, family members, and the partial duties are being laid on everyone. Thus, a man today in the name of discipline is meant to live a life for the sake of society and his surroundings.

Here, I would like to quote the sayings of the great Tamil poet Bharatiyar – “Even if a single person is not offered a meal on this planet, we will burn the whole universe.” But his words have been misunderstood. His words in today’s scenario are – “The whole universe will work for a single greedy individual (be it a corporate tycoon, politician or anyone) and let the whole universe die for the greed and sustainability of that individual.” This has become the bandwagon effect in our society too. 

Before moving into the concept of “How marriage has become a Bandwagon Effect,” I would like to provide a short description of what a Bandwagon effect is. Among the type of argument and fallacy concept Bandwagon concept means following the masses even if it is not relevant to an individual. In today’s modern world, most of our lifestyles have become a bandwagon style, and every individual’s rationality is getting curtailed. Everyone is compared for everything and thrown out if he cannot sustain with the partial norms of the society. Everything has become a bandwagon effect, be it a marriage or taking career or a job. But in the case of marriage functions, it has become more awkward when we witness the irrationality in holding the function. 

Whenever a question is raised on the customs and culture, the answer is that everyone does it, and we are also supposed to do the same thing. All the history crimes like dowry that we have been witnessing so far from the past to present started because of this bandwagon effect i.e., pleasing the society. Despite having a sophisticated education, our minds are still slaves to the bandwagon effect. Even today, we could see more wastages rather than having self-satisfaction in the case of luxurious marriages. Though we could argue that extravagant marriages are just for entertainment and to be happy, the concept has been infused into the minds of the greedy, and it has been made as either a trend or a custom in the society. It has become a mandatory belief to be followed.

But when we have a deep analysis into it, I feel that it’s just a business institution for lust and not a marriage institution. There could be more arguments stating that marriage is a one-time function in life that needs to be enjoyed by individuals and the family, it needs to be celebrated in a grand manner, but finally, it should not be the one where the bride’s parents land in lifelong debt. Apart from this, we could also witness many other issues like maximum wastage of foods and no discipline being maintained in food securities. We are reaching a stage where we always want to blame the society and the government for everything, but in general, when we attend a marriage function, we could see most of the food exploitation occurs there in the form of food wastage which is because of the arrogant nature of the educated and wealthy people. These wastages, when being curtailed, can also bring the right solution for food security problems.

Starting with the discussion on the nature of marriage, the psychological life of individuals has become the bandwagon effect alone. It is not necessary that we must follow and do everything just because the large masses do it. The customs of marriage, which in any form is being partially posed on another person (generally a person who is mandatorily being assigned a duty to conduct the marriage based on beliefs and without sanctity, humanity, and rationality) because of this bandwagon effect. All the time, the individual works for a pleasing society alone. In many cases, we see that people live in the worst scenario of not having anything for their health/ enjoyment and being treated as a robot to work for pleasing society. 

My point is simple as such if a person is wealthy enough and if he is ready to spend money for a luxurious marriage, that doesn’t look so clumsy. But if the same is demanded of a person who is neither interested nor is able to afford it looks to be a wrong committed in the name of marriage. Marriage should be considered as a sacred contract to nourish the love between two individuals. Let the society flourish with this beautiful lovely nature and not through money and artificial happiness through show off to society.

Let’s create a community in which people live with natural happiness, respecting oneself, nurture the conscious living, thrive for humanity and live with love, joy, rationality, which is the absolute requirement to uplift humanity and individuals. We will have a society where marriage becomes an institution to flourish love and not to be a business hub.

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