There is a romanticized narrative of two people merging into one when they marry. A narrative about two halves becoming one whole. I hate everything about this narrative. It supports a lie that each one of us needs another person to be complete. You are complete without anyone else. There are no exceptions. You were born enough. You were born complete and you still are. Also, when you merge with someone else, you lose the gift of perspective. You stop being able to see them for the independent, incredible human that they are. You start to treat them as poorly as you treat yourself.