My co-worker, Becca Shim, and I were discussing our 5 year plan, building careers, buying houses and how these mile markers of adulthood seem lost to our generation due to lack of jobs, unrealistically high house prices, and educational debt weighing us down like Atlas' globe. When will we finally make it? When will we be adults?
Marriage is a surefire way into adulthood. I reflected that my parents had three children by the time they were 29, stable jobs, and a house they had just purchased (though it did smell like dog urine), qualifying them as successful adults. However, if one should seek this route in this day and age, the wife would more likely that not be left with children and her husband's debt. Thus revealing my biggest fear of marriage, being left with debt and children. Becca just wants to buy a house and build a backyard homestead in the city.
Of course, up to this point our conversation did not take into consideration the fact that the world as we know it will be ending December 2012. After this winter, down payments will no longer be necessary. You only need a large enough mob of pitchfork wielding neighbors securing and protecting desired homesteads. No down payments, no debt, no civil order aside from pitchfork wielding majority rule. Could this be Utopia?
With no debt, the only other thing a husband could leave his wife with is the children... assuming the husband could get away. But see, in PAW Utopia (Post Apocalyptic World Utopia), our angry mob serves another function than just land security... husband fetching. Should a husband leave his wife with children (again, debt no longer exists), the angry mob could hunt said husband down and deal with him accordingly. Problems solved, fears addressed.
So, today I not only identified my single biggest fear of marriage, but also found a solution. AND my solution is not even based on something completely impractical and out of my control, like the end of the world!
Success!
