Marriage, Purity, Carpe Diem.

  A friend of mine recently married for the third time only taking just a few short months to learn that he was "the one."  You could imagine the doubts that surrounded that authenticity of the claim when she displayed her diamond encrusted ring to us and announced that he asked for her hand.  Although I have reservations toward the life expectancy of the commitment, it has granted me with inspiration to set to work on a short story.  I don't want to reveal the major details of the work yet, but it is safe to assume that the woman in it will have a few marriages under her.
  Their marriage brought some new concepts of human invention to me that I had never before heard of.  For instance: the idea that if you get married a second time, you're not supposed to wear a white wedding dress.  When I inquired as to the reason why, I was answered that the bride is no longer pure, and thus should not wear a dress that represents purity.  Now, I found it strange because most people who get married today are not pure anyway, yet they were the white wedding dress.  They didn't save themselves, but still dawn the white shroud.  Does it not seem odd that a symbol that is supposed to represent purity, is representing a lie instead?
  I had never thought about it much until recently, but it literally angers me when a pair do not save themselves.  There are plenty of pretty women that attend school with me, yet when I imagine them giving their flowers to someone who is not right for them, it disturbs me deeply.  I don't particular pay it to mind with acquaintances and lesser known people, but to those whom I hold a desire for, the thought consumes me.  I'm not going to go into the morality of it because that is a thoroughly beaten horse, but what I do want to say is this:  Why is it so difficult to save yourself?  We are thinking, logical beings, yet we say that we allow our desires to rule us?  We should have desires, yes, because that is the driving force of humanity, but when we allow them to control us to the point of total relinquishment of authority over our souls, then we have truly lost the battle. 
  A common thread in society is the idea that your first time should be with someone you love.  Whether that is right or wrong is up to you, but by itself, the statement seems to be pretty strong.  The only flaw in it is the human interpreting it.  Love is many different things to many different people.  What that means is that one man could consider himself in love when a beautiful woman walks through the doorway, while another would only consider himself in love after knowing the person for years on end.  Love does not always lead to marriage, though we are taught that is should.  We are also taught that we should save ourselves for marriage, but we are often told by the ones who didn't themselves.  This creates a hypocritical situation, where the speaker has no credit or authority.  This means that the statement made is void.  The most powerful voices for self preservation are those who fought the fight of desires and brought them under control.  They are the ones who have the most authority to convince the youth that it should indeed hold on to themselves for the one they marry.  If then, our first time should be with someone we truly love, how do we determine who to give ourselves to?  Again, we are open to interpretation, because I cannot say if you are truly in love with someone, just the same that you cannot tell if I am or not.
  Our society tells us that we should be sure of our decisions even if they are made quickly.  Every job interview I've been to asks me if I have the ability to complete the job.  Now, if I have never done the job before, I have no way of positively saying that I would be suitable for the position.  You get this a lot with first time job seekers, and those looking for a temporary position.  I am then placed in a compromise of my morality.  Should I embellish my abilities to look good and get the position, or should I say that I will do my best, while promising nothing?  If I do the later, it will deter my hiring, because even though it sounds more honest and correct in nature, society wants us to tell them that we can do it, even if we don't know that we can.  Because of this concept, we have had the idea of self embellishment carved into our being that we carry into our relationships.  If someone asks, 'are they the one' we respond, 'yes' without giving it a second thought.  That second thought though, would be the thought that spares us from separation, and misguided attempts at building a partnership that will ultimately fail.
  Carpe Diem.  Seize the day.  I think that we as humans are charged with the responsibility of making every day the best that we can, not only for ourselves, but for the world around us.  To live in harmony with the people we talk with.  To make the world a better place to live.  Carpe Diem does not mean to take a dishonest advantage of the limited time we have here, though it seems as if it has become bent more and more towards that definition.  It has become commonplace to do all that we can now for all that we can get now, and let the future slip through our fingers as it comes and goes.  Some day though, our time will be closing, and when that day comes, I pray that I will know what it means to have truly lived.