I've come to the indisputable conclusion that love, as portrayed in the movies and in novels, doesn't exist in reality. There are no "fairy tale endings" where "Prince Charming" comes gallivanting into your life and carries you away to a "Happily Ever After".

In fact, the only kind of love that exists is a strong bond between family members, if at all. I've concluded that people get married simply because society, and to a certain degree, their elders, dictate that is what they should do as constructive members of society. This exact reason, along with the biological necessity to reproduce to keep the human species alive and thriving for another generation, is why people pair up and become "couples".

I'm pretty sure a majority of you will respond with statements to the effect of "you're wrong" and "true love exists", but I've yet to see this as a fact. All the words and reassurance in the world are useless to me if facts can't be backed up with evidence. Of course, all one has to say to refute my evidence is to suggest I look at my own parents, and surviving grandparents.

My two remaining grandparents have been "happily married" for 63 years. I can't fathom waking up to someone who will be willing to do the same for such a great length of time. I highly suspect that their faith, Lutheranism, as well as the expectations of men and women in the day and age they were wed, the early 50's, heavily influenced their decisions to marry and start a family. One simply just got married and had kids as they aged, as it was expected of them if they were to be proper believers of their faith, and proper citizens of society. I think that they learned to live with each other and grew dependent on one another's presence to the point where they can't imagine life without each other, finding such a life downright unlivable.

In fact, there was a time where women who DIDN'T get married were branded as "spinsters" and as such, were considered not desirable to men, or even not of normal mental cognition, perhaps being seen as to strong willed and stubborn to follow societies' expectations and morals and willingly "settle down" with a man. This title was considered highly taboo in it's time. Such women were to be pitied, cast out of society, and destined to grow old and alone, without children to pass their legacy down to.

Marriage has lost the "permanency" it once held, as people can readily separate and divorce and not feel branded or looked down upon as a failure for doing such, as they might have once been. Also, more of marriages today end up in divorce than ever before, either due to financial strain, or out of what is commonly referred to as "irreconcilable differences". More and more individuals are taking the title of being a spouse for granted. Yes, I know that back in Victorian times, most men had a mistress along with a wife, and it was considered normal and accepted as a regular thing in marriage, and that there were other marital practices that happened back then that we, today, would be shocked over. However, the bottom line is, men and women are getting married more so for the sake of convenience rather than any semblance of "romance". I strongly feel that marriage is loosing it's once solemn and dignified meaning and becoming a more so, "thing to do" on a whim, rather than a well thought out and permanent decision it once was.

However, let's get back to living with a person for many, MANY years. My own parents even raise doubts as to how one can live with another for such a length of time. My father and mother couldn't be any more different. Mom is a (mostly) vegetarian, liberal, Democratic, peacemaking, yoga doing, new age soul. Dad is a meat and potatoes, farm raised and bred, semi conservative, often times abrasive and rude, stubborn old man. These contrasting personalities often cause conflict in their marriage, yet somehow, they are still together. I think it's more so because divorce is daunting to my folks, and they don't want to throw away what they have done together, and the lives they've henceforth created. They also don't want to add stress and confusion to my two brothers and I. I also feel they are still together more or less out of convenience and expectations over anything else.

Mom has even confided unto me that their wedding ceremony was more so for their parents, rather than for herself and Dad. It's simply what was done and expected of men and women in their time, to have a big wedding, then children thereafter. If she had a say in her life, she might have done things a bit differently.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad my parents had decided to bring me into this world, but I can't help but feel that such a decision was pressured unto them by both society and what was expected of them as adults, both genetically and as dictated by their parents before them.

That's how most species on this planet function. There is no such thing as true monogamy, actually. Even species renowned for their monogamy, like the Bald Eagle for instance, often leave their mate for another for whatever reason, or mate with another on the side. Sometimes more than one female lays her eggs in the nest.

Anyways, I apologize if you find my experiences and rambling to be offensive. I'm simply using my own experiences and observations as basis for my conclusion, as any good scientist would do.