[Obama08]

Countdown to launch: Z minus three months...
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I wanted to get people's thoughts on what constitutes marriage.

Ignoring for a moment the centuries of religious, cultural, and sociological influence on the process of selecting a life-mate, define your own ideal marriage.

I ask because I'm now tasked with co-creating both an abstract template for the healthy progression of our relationship over the rest of our lives, and a physical signed agreement (not a pre-nup, we have little physical wealth) that we will both abide by until "death do us part." This on top of writing our own vows, which will be a more flowery summation of both.

In a while I'll post what I have thus far, but in the interum, I'd love to hear your thoughts, I may even plagiarize them a bit

Thanks

[Nevermind]

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages. - Nietzsche

In long term relationships, and marriage falls into this category, a lot has been established by time. You share a life and as long as this works, it seems to be enough. But, sometimes I wonder, if this isn't an illusion and the reason why many marriages end badly. I think, we tend to take our partners for granted, whereas we treat friends always as something that we need to value. Therefore, you should not only love your partner, but also be his friend. Care for his/her interests, and his/her separate life. Plan things to spend time together, because you just sharing a house isn't enough. Be able to take a step back and give your partner space when needed. And always try to see your partner as the person he/she is at that moment. Sometimes, when we've forgotten to do this, we are surprised to see a partner change "so suddenly" when really it was a slow progression.

Mh. Just a quick thought. Useless for your purpose, I guess.