5 on Friday

1) What are your overall views on marriage?
It is what you make of it.  I did not do well at it.
2) Are you married// is marriage something you want?
I'm not married and I don't want to be married. I have been married twice and divorced twice.  I like single and not being responsible for anyone but myself.
3) Do you like the symbolism of wedding rings? Why or why not?
Meh. I’m not opposed to them or anything, but I just don’t put much stock into physical symbols of affection. I know how I feel, I don’t really need to show the world to make that more real.
4) What do you think is the best age, ideally, to get married? (In general.)
I hate “in general” because of course there’s no hard and fast rule, and it depends a lot on what you want out of your marriage-- and I think a lot of the problems people have with marriage is because they got married based on a time frame (“by 30” etc) instead of the person themselves. But if you plan on having kids, I guess I’d say between 25-35 so you’re old enough to know who you are and established a little financial stability (hopefully!).
5) Which is worse: shotgun wedding at 17, or meeting your partner when you're in your sixties?
Shotgun wedding, definitely. Marrying someone just because you got accidentally pregnant by them is a really bad way to start off a marriage, all the more so when you’re too young to have much in the way of financial assets (or the marketable skills to earn them) and may not even know who you are and what you want from life yet. Much better to know who you are and what you want and find the right person for you later than never.