> Marriage is not a pre-requisite for going through the up and downs of a relationship. Never claimed as much. I said that sometimes the promise made is the th

> Marriage is not a pre-requisite for going through the up and downs of a relationship. Never claimed as much. I said that sometimes the promise made is the thin string that holds the relationship together at that point in time. Sometimes that is all it takes. It's the same psychological effect in play as when you declare to all your friends and family that you are on a diet. Once you've made that declaration, you'll be slightly more inclined to stick to the diet compared to just keeping it to yourself and "see how it goes". Sometimes that's all it takes to get yourself through a rough patch.