"Marriage may be compared to a cage: the birds outside despair to get in and those within
             despair to get out."-Michel De Montaigne
             The question that stands before us today is as follows, "is marriage a viable institution in the twenty- first century." The answer to this question is an unwavering yes. Marriage has never ceased to be a viable institution. What has changed is the way that people look at this tradition. The Webster's dictionary defines a viable institution as, "workable, and likely to survive or to have real meaning." I think that it is obvious that the institution of marriage has more than survived the test of time, it is a practice that dates back to the beginning of time and will continue to be practiced long after all of us are gone. It also is a custom that has deep significance; unfortunately the meaning has seemed to become lost over the years.
             People have lost focus on the real meaning of marriage and look at it more today as a contract than an institution. As a vast generalization, people have come to take marriage less seriously, seeing it as a short-term commitment rather than the life long bond that it is. Entering in and out of marriage on a whim, we are no longer trying to make things work instead we are using divorce as a quick fix to marital discontent. It's the proverbial Band-Aid on the broken bone. Being committed to marriage as a societal anchor means taking the time and getting your hands dirty with the pain of marital strife.
             There are various reasons for this loss in enthusiasm toward marriage, and I feel that it would be unfair to simply site one overwhelming source. Some blame practices like the nations no-fault divorce policies, while others place the blame on a loss in morals and family values; furthermore I feel that the lack of change in the marital law itself is somewhat to blame.
             As indicated by Anne E. Barrett, "Married people, according to research data, enjoy higher...