Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. In fact, it is this Thursday. Singles and unmarried will be travelling home to catch up with their families and then will most likely be asked about their relationship status, or lack of one. Singles should be confident this year when asked about their singlehood at Thanksgiving dinner with their friend and family.
The primary animal that will be roasted this Thanksgiving is a turkey as its demand increases due to the holiday, but singles will be the other unusual creature roasted at the dinner table this year. A turkey will be cooked, braised, smoked, or roasted to be served as the main course. Singles will be roasted by dinner guests, friends, and family about their relationship status who expect that their sons and daughters should date and get married. However, there is nothing wrong with being single and that is the core message that singles need to get across to family and friends at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Society still expects men and women to get married to maintain the structure and organization of societal institutions. However, marriage rates continue to decline – especially among Millennials—while the divorce rate has remained consistent. Millennials have become skeptical, cynical, and disillusioned about marriage as they recognize the divorce rate, failed (or serial) marriages, and are delaying or not planning to get married because of debt from higher education. This is a first practical response and rebuttal to questions from family and friends directed towards singles at the dinner table.
Singles today are now 45% to 50.2% of the current American population (depending on how the survey is conducted) and are beginning to get noticed more when it comes to issues. As a growing group, singles are able to decide how they want to live their lives such as if they want to possible get married or remain single by choice. Single Millennials are also more open to open relationships and polyamorous relationships while becoming more skeptical about monogamy. In this way, singles are still able to have sexual and other relational experiences that have traditionally been considered to be part of marriage without committing to a partner; but instead, remaining single. Being single does not have to get in the way of sex and other life experiences; in fact, singlehood should increase the opportunity for more life experiences compared to getting married. This is a second response that singles can use to respond to questions from their family and friends this Thanksgiving.
No one is born married. Everyone is born and will die single (married or not). All people are individuals first. As individuals, each person is responsible for their choices and their actions without interference. All individuals are moral agents, this entails that each individual has natural rights and negative rights that are universal rights given to each individual for being a human being. An individual should be free from coercion, an external force that the government can use, that intimidates individuals. These provide the basis for a philosophical response for why individuals choose to be single because everyone is an individual first and is given rights in accordance with the laws of nature.
There are many ways to respond to dinner guests this Thanksgiving when asked why you are single. Depending on who is asking you about why you are single, you can respond with a practical or philosophical answer. This Thanksgiving be prepared and ready with a response as to why you are not dating rather than being roasted at the dinner table for being single and unmarried.
