Bachelorhood vs relationship

The technically correct title of this post should be Singlehood vs Relationship, though the word singlehood is not a proper word, as Bachelorhood has lost some of its meaning in the 20th and 21st century.

As one gets to the age of 26, the primary question in the middle of every conversation becomes "when are you getting married? "

My answer so far has been "would be married already if I could do it alone. "

As a single male in my mid twenties, all avenues are open to me. But every choice I make will bring a certain commitment, and responsibility.

First, the general upkeep of a single male in the city is easily met if you have a job like mine. You may even have an extra coin to spend on entertaining yourself, or to save for the future.

Second, being on your own means you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. No one will drag you to a boring place, and you don't have to be sorry for disappointing anyone if you don't go somewhere.

Being single also means there is no one to blame for your personal failures, and every decision you take will be yours alone, despite the influencing factors.

On the other hand, if you have a girlfriend/fiancee/wife, it would change things drastically. The chances of you being a goofball will be drastically reduced, if not evaporate, although it will depend entirely on the way your girl likes you.

You will have to think of what her reaction would be to everything you do. Solitude will be hard to find and the freedom to make your own decisions will be lost. 

On the bright side though, you will gain a dual perspective on everything you do, and a safeguard against a lot of things. You will have someone who bargains for you at the supermarket, maybe even cooks and cleans for you. She would be a non-expendable asset that you would take care of under all circumstances, because she gives you a real purpose.

Without that particular person, you are like raw flour, a resource that has not been dedicated to a purpose.

Are we single people headless chicken? are we without direction? We have jobs and careers, but only a member of the clergy or priesthood or the military dedicates their lives in service of their careers. Civilians otherwise have to have something else to do, don't we?

To be single or to find someone to share your life with is not really a question of if but of when. I think when one fully understands what he or she is missing by being on their own, it is time to find a partner. 

The practice of this idea, however has eluded me so far. I have too much work at my hands, and the time needed to fall in love is not available to me anymore. May be things change with my new job, may be they don't. Only time will tell.