Swingers

Back in the olden days, it was common for men and women, each individually, to meet their future spouse during the first half of their 20s, sometimes even earlier.  Looking around the world today, the idea of that does seem rather quaint and dated, now doesn't it?  Many people think they're too "cool" to settle down at such a young age.  Being a "swinger" keeps you young while settling down and starting a family makes you old.  Living that kind of single lifestyle seems to be a form of vanity, a means of seeking status.  It's all about being good with the ladies or getting all the guys.  Getting married "early" would put a "premature" end to that extended adolescence and many people will have no part of that!

Unfortunately this kind of social climate has complicated matters for those who just wish to settle down.  There are simply far fewer like-minded people around to choose from than there had been decades ago.  It's no longer necessarily good enough to just be the right kind of person for someone else, whoever that someone ends up being.  That someone is simply less likely to cross paths with you because there are fewer people like them in existence.  So even those who do act their age end up settling down at a later age than people did decades ago.

Now what about the swingers who have poisoned the social climate with their desire to stroke their egos?  Well, they get married too, eventually - and often reluctantly.  The guy notices that he's not getting the ladies like he used to so he decides to settle down with whatever girlfriend he happens to be with at the time.  The girl feels her biological clock ticking so she suddenly decides to get serious about her relationships and settle down with whatever guy she's dating, or sort of dating, at the time.  Not exactly convincing recipes for success.  So what is it these people used to be good at when they were slightly younger?  Not much, really.  Basically, they were good at being manipulative, which is a skill that will get you nowhere in the long run unless every hour of your existence is spent in the business world, and then that would be a very meaningless life.  So when their youthful looks begin to fade, they have nothing really going for them.

Someone who's more mature and family-oriented will eventually lose their youthful looks as well but they have many other qualities about them just waiting to be discovered by someone else.  I know some happily married people who are still discovering beautiful things about their spouses that they did not know before.  Yes, even after they're already married.  And then each individual is always changing and developing too, thus introducing the potential for even more pleasant surprises.  Sometimes they even learn something about themselves that they did not know before.  It's almost as if that spouse brings out the best in them.  Marriage may not be considered "cool" in certain crowds these days but it is definitely GOOD!

Mark 10: 2-12