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RealTalk ATL Essay Winner: La’Crisa Robinson
La’Crisa Robinson
Essay
Therrell High School
As a society, we have developed an overall “microwave” mindset. Everyone’s out looking for quick and convenient schemes to fit their fast-paced lifestyle. Although this mentality may help us cope with life’s issues, we cannot apply it in every aspect of our lives.
Marriage, the most sacred commitment between two people, has become one of the most overrated things of the 21st century. Fears of stability, insecurity, and financial hardship are the leading factors of why marriage is not pursued by my generation.
Long-term commitments are seen as curses; this is evident through our current foreclosure crisis, pre-paid phones, and the inability to build a stable economic structure.
Despite how we cope with a changing world, it is crucial to our existence as a race, to sustain the social standards surrounding marriage. Without marriage, pregnancy rates soar, therefore raising abortion and adoption rates. STDs will also become more frequent without the existence of standards and commitments within relationships.
Healthy marriages are not beyond our reach. If we all take steps within our society in glorifying the positive effects and the importance of healthy relationships, then youth will pursue this type of lifestyle. The entertainment industry impacts our social lives more than our government; therefore it is important that movies and music send the right messages to the public.
Adultery, teen pregnancy, and abuse within relationships have become the norm. We turn our heads to these actions instead of frowning upon them. If society changes how it sees the American family, then we will strive to meet this standard.
America was founded on the importance of family and a stable household. The Cosby Show, Leave it to Beaver, and similar shows are examples of how America respected and honored the importance of marriage and family.
Once we break the habits of pre-marital sex, teen pregnancy, and unprotected sex, our country’s social prosperity will flourish. Marriage should be enforced because it has a positive effect throughout our entire country.
Healthy relationships start at home. If you are raised in a positive home, you will model your family after what you have experienced. It is everyone’s responsibility to create healthy and beneficial habits within their social life until marriage. By practicing these habits, you can prevent stress, depression, and other negative effects.
As a member of the present generation, I vow to practice healthy habits within my personal life leading up to marriage. I will respect my body and demand the same respect from my partner. Without this mutual respect, I put myself at risk for STDs, pregnancy, and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. I look forward to the commitment of marriage and not settling for a live-in, convenient relationship.
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