The number one cause of all divorce is marriage. In today’s society separation is a common occurrence and considered completely normal course of marriage. In Hollywood, the union of two people which lasts longer than a few years is a rarity; perhaps it even more unfortunate that the month or day marriages have taught generations just how lax marriage is. Few marriages contain true love. And that’s truly a sad fact. Perhaps this lack of love is due to the structure of society. People are self sufficient, depending on each other for survival isn’t relevant anymore. Once, if they wished, could successfully live out his or her life without a significant other. This is mainly due to our industrialized economy. People don’t need to fend for themselves when they can support themselves off of single income thus controlling their own livelihood. However, society is also immensely interconnected. With information being shared within seconds, technology can be extremely unforgiving. A simple moment of anger or misjudgement can now cause mass embarrassment or humiliation. Sure, cyberspace is full of opinions and social networks however, these tend to be superficial ways to connect to people mainly for the purpose of attracting attention. Scared to be hurt, people don’t open up and share their honest feelings or viewpoints. This creates a blockage of genuine connection which is the foundation for true love. Yet it is the very same society that is almost obsessed with finding “the one.” People are not content with what they have and refuse to accept what they are presented with. This is a society of innovators and dreamers based on the idea that something better is just around the corner. This is why most of the marriages end up failing because the persons in the relationship keep searching even after they have committed. To many true love means admitting that they or the relationship will never improve. They refuse to fully allow a connection of mind body and soul because when someone else better comes around it will be easier to chase if one is not tied down. The typical modern marriage is temporary at best. It is a convenience, a comfort, and an easy way to conform to society's expectations. Though a “marriage of true minds” doesn’t live in these types of relationships, both parties receive companionship while working towards preset standard life goals in the hopes of fulfilling the void in their life left by the lack of love. However, as soon as a new opportunity for genuine love presents itself, the existing marriage is easily broken because love never resided in the relationship. Yet, the combination of fear of being hurt and too lofty of expectancies create a vicious cycle in which the majority of people perish before ever breaking free.
A marriage of true minds is rare and not to be tampered with. It is a genuine connection that cannot be altered or changed. And, if grown it will stand the test of time. In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare proclaims that true love becomes the couple’s guide which carries them through life. If this is true, why doesn’t everyone try to achieve a genuine connection? People often look to love to achieve happiness, but rarely look to happiness to achieve love. They rely on the other to bring contentedness but love is a two way street. A true connection can never exist if one person is supposed to not only provide enough optimism for themselves but for the entire relationship. When too much pressure exists, than a common ground can’t be reached. However, if a relationship starts with friendship then a marriage of minds can arise, thus laying the foundation of mutual respect and camaraderie which Shakespeare believes is strong enough to last. If people let down their guard and allowed themselves to be subjected to all emotions with another person then they may be rewarded with true love because one must feel pain to fully appreciate love. When they connect mind, body, and soul they have succeeded in creating true love which will survive all tribulations and open the key to happiness.