The Strange Arranged

Growing up in the United States specifically in New York I have had the opportunity to meet various people from various different cultures, each one with a different style of dress, preference of food type and preparation, family structure, etc. The culture which too me seemed to differ from the American culture the most; however, seemed to be the Indian culture. A distinct tradition that sets the Indian culture apart from most other cultures is arranged marriages. At a young age children, are usually arranged to be married by his or her parents. This is usually done to try to ensure that the child marries into a financially stable family.  Upon learning about this tradition I was shocked by the fact that some children are born without a choice in a decision as important and life changing as this. I had instantly felt bad for children in situations such as this. But as I grew and learned more about this tradition my opinion on arranged marriages has changed a great deal. From my personal experience and encounters with people who have gotten married through arranged marriages I have learned that many of them are happily married and like the fact that their marriage was arranged. In high school I had a friend who moved back to India right after graduation to get married to the person she was arranged to and she couldn’t be happier. Many people might also think, as I used to, that many of these marriages end up in divorce but I have come to learn that this too is not true. I attribute this to the fact that many people are arranged to marry people in similar social classes meaning that they experience many of the same problems and experiences making them more compatible then people may think. If any think I would think that this method would lead to a lower divorce rate then that of the United States where people of different social classes intermarry all of the time. Personally I still like the fact that I have the power to decide who I am going to marry but by learning about arranged marriages I have learned to accept all cultures and the traditions they carry no matter how different they may seem.