Cinderella escapes her wretched stepmother and wicked stepsisters after falling in love with a prince, Snow White is revived by true love's kiss: from early adolescence, we are indoctrinated with the idea that love is synonymous with salvation. These lessons from fairy tales soon find their way into our everyday lives, inspiring many young children to hold a wedding ceremony with a fellow friend on the playground.

True joy can only be gained through marriage; it is the finish line of life, the way we know we have achieved success. Even childhood board games such as Life reward those who get married with points, further strengthening the idea that love can grant us a life of prosperity. Our entire lives seem to revolve around intimacy from the moment we are exposed to society. It is considered normal to want a romantic relationship and to eventually get married.

Religion then provides an explanation of concepts we do not fully understand in our youth, such as the creation of mankind or the afterlife. It also instills which values should be emphasized, which, for many chosen faiths, are love and marriage. Ecclesiastes 4:9 states that "two are better than one" and Genesis 2:24 describes a man and his wife uniting as "one flesh." To be with someone is preferred over being alone, for love is what unites us. A loved one can carry our burdens and perhaps even soothe our troubled spirits. As long as we are faithful to our partner, we are seen as holy and are accepted.

This is not strictly a Christian ideal; a multitude of religions encourage marriage. In Judaism, an unmarried man is viewed as incomplete because he is without a wife, for it is perceived as unnatural to be single. In Hinduism, a celebration referred to as a sanskara officially declares a married couple to be one completed unit. Intimate relationships fulfill us, give our lives purpose and meaning.

I often found myself confused when my peers described their "dream weddings," with flowing white dresses and bouquets of the brightest pink roses one could find. I never wanted any of those things because I never really wanted to be married. Perhaps it was my romanticized dream of living alone with my cats that discouraged me from thinking about my own wedding, but it simply never interested me.

Unfortunately, according to my friends, not wanting to get married stuck me in one of two categories:

1. The hopeless-romantic girl who convinces herself that she "doesn't want to be married" when, in actuality, she only says this because she cannot find her match.

2. The lone-wolf who is not only disinterested in romance, but in any form of social interaction.

As social beings, it is inevitable that marriage will be the norm. It is a major part of our identity, who we love and how we love one another. Maybe I will always be an outcast for not owning a binder with my desired venues, for not quite understanding the appeal.

There may be some truth to the idea that "two are better than one," for human interaction is inevitable and often necessary. Hopefully, as long as I have me and my seven-year-old American Shorthair by my side, I should still make it out okay.