Your loaded comment reminds me of Sheryl Sandberg's statements. "Look how easy it is to maintain work/life balance if you LEAN IN!" -- ignoring the fact that an army of people supporting her "LEAN IN" lifestyle.

To be fair to her, after her husband died I think she had to re-assess a lot of the Lean In stuff.

Is it considered „loaded“ to say that starting a family is um… an option? What a time to be alive.

What are other ways?

Maybe getting married?

The only type of marriage that does not require constant effort is a failed marriage.

It requires effort, but it's not always a chore. It should make your life easier by sharing the load of everyday burdens. I'm thankful to be sharing my life with my wife.

I wrote "effort", not "chore", and yet I got downvoted...

I think because it came off as gloomy. I tried to differentiate effort from being and solely negative and emphasize how marriage is a combination of the good and the bad.

Life in general requires constant energy. Unless you’re freeloader. Be it relationship, participating in a society or anything else.

Are you implying that marriage is, somehow, the end state of relationship building? I can assure you it does not end at marriage.

marriage, which is presumably the intention of dating

It used to be. But people are now pushed towards the dating equivalent of 'fast fashion', hookups via apps, throwaway relationships, shopping around for something new and exciting.

And then people get surprised that somehow it’s exhausting. It was not supposed to be used like that. Just like shopping in a fast fashion lifestyle is exhausting. Compared to buying long lasting outfit once in a while.

Plenty of couples don’t get married and have happy lives together.

I've never dated in this mode before. It's it like... an interview?

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