121: Marriage.

Love friends, think long term, avoid wasting energy on anyone who is not up to the task. Sex for its own sake is heroin addiction with a thicker needle. The honest man makes this pledge without the conjured threats of robed patriarchs, the approval of his community or the observance of some trite ritual. Marriage if anything should be a cosmetic venture overshadowed by a previous and unquestionable vow of truthfulness and integrity of character. When our virtues are cultivated in such a fashion there is no need for anything else. The mental oath of marriage should come long before the church entrance or otherwise you’re not fit for what the popular society would call ‘marriage.’ I don’t need the ritual of marriage to make myself devoted to someone; there is no other sober way to form a union. Trickery, deceit, cowardice and dishonesty are the greatest flaws of character. In fortifying the virtues of honesty, prudence, temperance, justice and moral courage the idea of an immediate transformation from ‘bachelor’ to ‘married man’ seems silly. Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character. Marriage is nothing but a distraction that will not patch a rotting foundation.

Marriage as co-habitation, a business arrangment or ownership of sexual organs is a marriage of waste.