+6 
At first, I wanted to explore the long term outcomes, monogamous or not, of intimate relationships in the hottest city in the World. I myself considered the concept of family unity as being both natural and acquired amongst humans, thus conceiving marriage as one of the mechanisms individuals developed from survival instinct and societal motives.
But all that stuff seemed like a pretty heavy thought process.
I look around me. I look into the Miami that I live in as a young woman and so I thought, and I thought some more.
Miami does come with a particular reputation, here and abroad. The city of all vice, where success is king and is preferred publicly crowned under the brightest lights, so make sure your lights are set at the brightest of brights. In order to show this success to the pairs, many Humans seem to choose the use of symbolic objects, upon which they agree to place value.
Some of these objects are the result of phenomenal technological progress, I think of cars, watches, boats, designer crafted clothes and not to forget that some are made of mesmerizing natural beauty, which still needs to be recognized as valuable by the collective Diamonds. Gold. Platinum. More diamonds. More gold.
In my case, the coupling of both nature and craftsmanship often calls my name. I could look at a Birkin bag for an unearthly amount of time. Humans have this ability to turn matter into magic, symbolic objects. Some of it appears as pure art.
The Universe is made of frequencies; matter after all. So what could possibly be wrong with that?
In my humble opinion, nothing at all. Come thunderstorms, hurricanes, polarized elections, at the end of the day Miami remains an exceptionally beautiful city and it’s flashiness, while common with many megacities, makes it nothing less than unique and extra vibrant.
My eyes can’t complain. They are Human eyes, after all, and they react to the beauty of all sorts of shiny things. And so my eyes wander, they get lost, and it’s a real pleasure I indulge in at given times. Why not ?
But life is meant to be lived. Not a single Human can live in contempt as a sole spectator.Who could claim to experience life’s wholesomeness in a gaze? All things that shine are made of matter, and matter does not travel to the heart of man. Only love can.
Only love may fill the heart with true joy and mirth.
Now you may be thinking, rightfully, where am I going with this? “Love“.
This is what I believe our journey on Earth is all about.
And as you may already know, “I love you’s” are ever so often followed by “I do’s”. So let’s take it back to the sociologist’s perspective, in which the concept of marriage is pretty complex. I decided to stick with what is socially implied with marriage in modern occidental communities. I agreed to determine it as the collective has defined it, which is to serve as an expression of the family unity.
Individual factors and motives may determine its purpose as well, and so it might be a path to citizenship for some, or an occasion to demonstrate wealth for others. To me, marriage was the human way to publicly announce the family unity in front of Justice (the law), God (or not, depending on your beliefs) and society (through friends and family.
It is a promise, and its gift is itself. Two humans who love each other pronounce words heavy in meaning in front of their pairs: “till death do us part”. Making the conscious choice to share this one life with a special, chosen person through the commitments implied in the Western’s World ideology of marriage is a huge decision.
While the outcomes of marriage are never promised, both parties feed the hope and efforts necessary to be faithful to the promise they made and sealed while publicly celebrating the union: till death do us part. Hurricanes, thunderstorms, polarized elections. Routine. Monotony. Passion. Anger. Forgiveness. Misunderstandings. Fear. Doubts. Changes.
Love.
The promise to rise above all challenges; together. Marriage is a beautiful concept, truly, one that is unique to mankind, at least on this planet. Challenges may bring times of discomfort. What marriage has taught me so far, is that there’s a reward for facing the discomfort. If not for the lovers, for the self.
Once you let love win, you may allow for your compassion to deepen, for your memories to grow like a colorful, flower-filled garden. All of a sudden, your horizons to widen, your dreams expand, your outlook evolves.
And in this minute of clarity, all things that shine no longer take the brightest side of the big picture that you call Life. Do they still shine?
Of course they do.
Only, and again, in my humble opinion, the garden which you have chosen to water grows so big, and so luxurious, to the point that it out-stands the symbolic beauty of any object commonly recognized by the collective as a value.
Sharing. Understanding. Feeling. Belonging. Waking up. Talking. Dreaming. Home. Adventures. Friendship. Experiences. Passion. Family. Nature. Rest. Prayers. The unknown. Meditations. Days. Nights. Celebrations. Grieves. Memories. Novelties. Changes. Life. & Love.
And you feel happiest, as your true wealth takes root. And one day at a time, you choose to live fully, and to love fully.
And you learn everyday more and more as you get wealthier, and wealthier, in all things that can’t translate into the World of matter.
– Dominique Marzec
French literature University graduate, charity worker and wife.
Credits:
Designer: @gracyaccad
Location: @littlehen_
Make up: @samirahmakeupartist
Models: @karinaamourr @callmeayele
Photographer: @caoticaproducciones by @carosaenzphoto
