Love has no limitations. There is no point in time when we are expected to fall in love. When you are 16, you can get your driver’s licenses; when you are 18, you can vote; but when exactly is the age that you can consider yourself to be truly in love?I have to disagree with Jason George’s column on why people should wait to have sex after marriage. Yes, I do agree that saving one’s virginity until marriage is respectable and wonderful. There are many other ways to please one another sexually without actually having intercourse. Sex is a risky endeavor and intercourse is meant solely for creating a new life. In his column, Jason George writes, “only in marriage can a man and women honestly say I commit all of me to love you…” Marriage is sadly no longer the ultimate commitment. Marriage is not a guarantee that one partner will stay with the other through tough times. Nor is it a guarantee that a spouse will love their spouse forever. Infatuation says: “We must get married right away. I can’t risk losing him.” Love says: “Be patient. Don’t panic.” “Plan your future with confidence,” wrote Ann Landers. You can make the commitment to be with someone for the rest of your life, but marriage may be far into the future.I do believe that age is no limitation to love. There are young adults (18 to 22 years old) who have a strong love, commitment, intimacy and maturity that some married couples may never experience in their lifetimes. I plan to be with my significant other until the day I die. However, I do not have the finances to begin to think of marriage. I feel it is important to finish school and to have a steady income before I say “I do.”Dr. Alan Booth, professor at Penn State, says, “Cohabitors report more frequent interaction with their partners than do married people.” There is no need to hurriedly change the status of the relationship, even if you know they are the “one.” In the past, there was pressure to get married at a young age. Now it is stressed to develop one’s self while exploring what is out there before “tying one’s self down.” Since marriage has lost much of its significant meaning, should we prohibit divorce when there appears to be no tangible reason for splitting up? Of course not! There are billions of people in the world with the ultimate goal to be happy. Over a span of 20, 30, even 10 years, individuals are likely to change and perhaps their spouse changes as well. Though “society” hopes that the couple learns to adapt, appreciate, and cherish one another throughout the years, is there a good reason why they should remain together if they are unhappy? In a marriage in which children are involved, children may be better off in a harmonious, loving environment, even if that means mom and dad divorce to maintain the peace in the home. Indeed, it is still important to try to work marital problems out. Each year, 4.3 divorces and 8.9 marriages occur per 1,000 people in the United States. Should we compromise our happiness just to improve our pitiful statistics?Love is much more than a convenience. Love is much more than security. Love is pleasure in surrendering and devoting one’s self to another, with or without marriage, simply because your partner makes life worthwhile.
Sarah Stanton is a junior marketing major from Mentor, Ohio.