Why get married?

My elder daughter attended a talk today on "marriage" organized by the school. The teachers told her that the motivation for it was the noticeable increase in young people in Singapore who "do not see the point of getting married". I was just conducting a thought experiment within myself on how best to answer the question of "why marry?" Answer 1: "you need to get married to have children" Rebuttal: no. These days, there is hardly any stigma about having children out of wedlock. In any case, we do not intend to have children. Does your answer imply that if we do not want children that marriage is not relevant to us? Answer 2: "being married is one of the happiest state in life" Rebuttal: looking at the married couples around me, they don't look very happy. In fact, some are so unhappy and regretful about their marriage that they are at the brink of divorce. I don't see what is so happy about that. I think we are happier as we are - free and easy. [Ah Leong: this is a sobering thought to me as a parent. How do my children view my marriage? Do they see a marriage that is happy and loving? If they see a dull and lifeless marriage played out in front of them everyday, it is hard to imagine them looking forward to marriage] Answer 3: "you need to get married to apply for a HDB flat" Rebuttal: didn't you hear the PM Lee rally speech. There will be changes to HDB purchasing rules to accommodate singles. Again, does it mean that if we intend to buy private (or fent a flat) that marriage is not relevant to us? Answer 4: "research shows that married people tend to stay together compared to co-habiting couples not bound by marriage." Rebuttal: that it happens to others does not mean that it should happen to me. In any case, so what - easy come easy go; if we are not happy together, just part ways. Less hurt than when we are bound by marriage, not to mention the legal battles surrounding matrimonial assets and all. [surprising yet true, this was indeed how one of my daughter's friend think] It appears that no pragmatic answer will satisfy a modern secular mind that does not see marriage belonging to the moral realm. This was indeed what I told my daughter - that marriage is meaningful and truly satisfying only if we understand it in the context of a God-ordained institution. It is God's design, not a man-made structure. As in all things, true and lasting happiness is found when we follow the design and understand the significance of the design from the perspective of the Designer. Rebellion from this order may bring about a fleeting sense of liberation, but will ultimately lead to emptiness and disillusionment. God's ways are higher than our ways.