The status quo of marriage in American society, in some cases, is a moderately complicated issue. I do know, however, that before marriage there is an interlude called the courtship period. During this dating period, the two members of the couple try to get to know each other. This is the time when many people fall in love. This is also the time when many people realize they are not with the right person and need to start over with someone new. The dating process, which lasts for a sporadic interval of time, ends when one person in the couple proposes to the other. This marriage agreement is a sacred bond of love and trust that proves to another that one will enter into an exclusive relationship with that person until they are separated by death. If the marriage proposal is accepted, the couple is declared engaged, or engaged to each other, and they set a wedding date. During the engagement, the couple exchanges rings as a sign of devotion. Once the wedding date reaches its destination, the couple then performs the wedding ceremony, which consists of a gathering of close friends and family members to witness the wedding. This ceremony is performed in a church under the hand of a priest who then declares the marriage as a holy matrimony. During the wedding ceremony, there is another exchange of rings which show a symbol of the couple's eternal love. After marriage, the couple usually takes a trip called a honeymoon where they consummate the marriage by making love. This process is the norm for how people get married in American society. The problem with this system is that most people get married for the wrong reasons and end up getting divorced. Divorce is a legal dissolution of the marriage contract. The problem with divorce is that marriage is supposed to be a contract that is supposed to last until one member of the couple dies; only then is the sacred vow broken. Otherwise, the couple goes against God's will. However, defying God is not the only harmful effect. In the United States, more marriages end in divorce than in any other country in the world, and this can be seen throughout American history. There is consensus that the overall divorce rate in the United States experienced a brief surge after World War II, followed by a decline. It began to increase again in the 1960s and even more rapidly in the 1970s, but stabilized in the 1980s and then began a fluctuating increase that lasts until today. It is said that 40 or even 50% of marriages will end in divorce if current trends continue. Divorce wouldn't be such a terrible thing.