What is Commitment really? Hint: it’s not marriage, nor living together

With regards to commitment in our culture, we tend to base our assumptions of such on what we see outwardly as well as simplistically.

If, say, a couple is living together or married, they are far more committed than a couple who is “just dating.” But, those who are married are “more committed” than those who “just live together.”

We have hierarchical, unspoken tiers for assessing the seeming level of commitment between two people, based mostly on their hitting certain outwardly observable “milestones” that every “legit” relationship must meet, at some point, in order to be the “real deal.”

When we compare a married couple to those who are unmarried (regardless of longevity of the relationship), we automatically label the married couple as more “legit,” authentic, and committed, simply by means of their having that status and title. Somehow, it automatically carrying more weight, garnering more respect, seen as the pinnacle of relational authenticity.

Yet, none of this actually has any bearing or symbolism on, nor is it implicit of the true level of commitment between two people.

First off, these shallow means of commitment assessment between others are misguided and silly for the following reason. Consider all the…