Does one need a significant other?

I wonder about the concept of a significant other. Does family, society, the Bible drive us all into that dilemma of chosing for a life partner or rather the one person to love? Isn't that the real reason why were actually not feeling as being complete?

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Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

Speaking as a Gen-x'er i think that was always the expectation of our generation.
Although, many of us saw our parents marriage dissolve, not sure what made them think our couplings were going to end differently to be honest.

Personally i just think we've all been through so much trauma with industry collapses; company closures; endless periods of boom and bust economics; volatile house pricing; lots of social changes since the start of our working lives, that the idea of a 'together forever' is just not possible.

val70 · 51-55

@Picklebobble2 Don't you think rather that we've not been through enough of the serious hard stuff though? Perhaps there's more of that ahead. I don't really like war and famine and such, but my grandparents loved each other in a ver different way than most people do now

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@val70 That was a very very different era. Back then people didn't have the life expectancy we have today.
The industries that ran our world had already been going the best part of a hundred years and there aren't many of them left today.
We earn more but we're considered worth less.
We're being told we have to work longer and retire later. Then they tell us we haven't paid in enough for our pensions.
Back in your Grandparents generation, the occasional person, when they got old and forgetful, were said to have lost their minds.
These days it happens by the million and we call it Alzheimers or dementia.
Some of that might be down to better understanding; research and diagnosis. But there will be others who wonder if that's down to the way we live life today.