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That sounds like good thinking, Zach. You know, I definitely think that marriage can still make sense in the modern world. As a matter of fact, I believe that modern marriages have the potential to be even more satisfying (for both parties) than ever. I also think that we are presently at a transitional moment in the evolution of our ideas about marriage, so our old assumptions and expectations really need to be examined...and possibly ditched. I think that it is also important to see marriage as just one a number of equally valid choices a person can make about how they exist in the world and not see it as "validating" anyone's existence. (Everyone is valid in their own right.) One reason I think that marriage will always be desirable to a great many people is that people (some more than others) inherently tend crave connection with others. Marriage (theoretically) offers the security and depth of a permanent connection. Jeez! I have so much to say on this subject that I could go on and on for a long time. I will spare you. But, great topic! I am suddenly thinking I should write an article, maybe even a book, on the subject....that's how much I have to say about it. Hmmm. Maybe I will. Thank you for the inspiration.

It seems to me that, given that we know from our own experience that life CAN exist (at least in this particular universe), given the immensity of our universe, and given the vast number of other universes that exist, it seems unlikely to me that Earth is the only planet with life. (I know; that is the same old argument, but I find it's logic is quite compelling.) I always come back to this question - would we even necessarily be able to recognize other life forms, if we stumbled upon them? Other life forms might or might not be intelligent. Their lifespans might be much shorter or longer than ours. They might not be carbon-based. So many things could be so very different that some of our most basic assumptions concerning the nature of of "life" could affect our ability to recognize it when we did encounter it. And then this question - who is to say that we actually understand what "life" is and/or what part of it we represent? Humans could possibly be the equivalent of enzymes or something in a vastly larger organism. Whole new, unsuspected realms of science keep being discovered (e.g., quantum physics, dark matter, etc.), so any confidence we have that we truly understand things is already on shaky ground. And where does that leave me on the question of whether there is alien life? I would have to say that, for all practical purposes at this point in time, we are alone, but to hedge our bets on the intelligent side, it would probably be wise to assume that alien life does (or can) exist...if only for the moderating influence of the humility inherent that assumption.