Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

1. Supporting Equality.
Discrimination leads to anger, resentment, and unnecessary pain. Being able to look beyond your perspective can help you learn and grow.

2. Supporting Families.
There are many gay and lesbian people who would make wonderful parents. There are also many children who would benefit from these parents. Marriage supports the idea of a unified family.

3. Discrimination is negative.
Negative emotions exert much more energy than do positive emotions. Why not exert only positive emotions by being accepting?

4. Withholding rights hurts.
Research from other discriminated groups shows that withholding rights leads to larger issues. Mental health is negatively impacted by discrimination, which sociologically and economically impacts us all.

5. Marriage supports love.
For a couple that has a priority of marriage, such a ceremony/ritual promotes love. Discrimination denies a positive, yet harmless experience for others.

Surveying 100 people, here are the top 10 reasons why people choose not to get married. Do you feel the same way? Share your feelings.

1. Isolation can lead a person into a speedy marriage.

A speedy marriage is not a solution to many problems. Some feel they are even more bored and lonely and will not want to be married.

2. Less Stress.

Some believe that marriage causes stress and that living a single life can increase your chances of living a longer life.

3. Many people just do not have enough funds to get married.

A wedding costs around $30-75,000 to prepare. They thus wait or live as common-law.

4. Some people love living on their own and cherish their alone time.

They simple are not ready to commit to a relationship and sharing with another person their lifestyles.

5. Previous marriages and divorce discourages others from remarrying.

The whole idea of soul mates and till death do we part has been shredded to pieces. Many have also come from abusive homes and are not yet trusting of another person in their lives.

How many of us wondered which countries have the most singles? Probably almost all of us – who plan to get married.

So this may be your lucky day. If you go on vacation to one of the following countries, do look for someone there. You will likely find that someone in these destinations.

1. Colombia:

This country in South America has 2.4 marriages per 1000 people living in the country. This is surprising since 70% of the country is urban.

2. Venezuela:

This South American country has 2.8 marriages per 1000 people, according to 2006 statistics. All marriages must comply with laws in Venezuela.

3. Dominican Republic:

Dominican Republic had 2.8 marriages per 1000 people in its country. It does not stop tourists from getting married on the beach in the country and having a honeymoon there too. Many Americans also get a quickie divorce from the Dominican Republic

4. Georgia:

Georgia had 2.9 marriages per 1000 people in its country. This is the country that still widely operates bride kidnapping. The groom is able to kidnap the woman he wants and marries her.

5. Saudi Arabia:

Saudi Arabia had 2.9 marriages per 1000 people in its country. This is in a country where arranged marriage is popular. Traditionally arranged marriages take place between families which know one another and believe their children would be compatible.

Don’t look too horrified- it is actually legal to marry a first cousin in some countries. History has seen its share of such famous people who got married to their relatives.

1. Jesse James

Jesse James was a gang leader who was born in 1847. He married his cousin- a woman who was so close to the family that she was named after his mother. The couple had two children and lived happily ever after till the gang leader died in 1882.

2. Franklin D. Roosevelt

This former American president and was fondly referred to as FDR during his time. He had met Eleanor when they were children but the two met again at a dinner hosted by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fifth cousin and Eleanor’s mother’s brother. Even though his mother was fiercely against it, the two got married in 1905 and gave birth to six children.

3. Johann Sebastian Bach

John Sebastian Bach is a well-known composer and violinist who built the foundation of the Baroque period. He was tied in holy matrimony to his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach in 1707 but sadly, she died 13 years into the marriage. The brilliant organist did not waste too much time after and was remarried by 1722.

4. H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells was an exceptional author and is said to have given rise to the genre of science fiction as we know it today. He married Isabel Mary Wells, his first cousin but the marriage ended after three years. He will always be remembered for his work, out of which The Time Machine was the best.

5. Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson held the presidential term for 8 years and was America’s third president. He married Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, his third cousin when he was 29 years old and they gave birth to six children. She died eleven years later and he never got married again.