The single greatest mistake a man can make in life is getting married

Assuming this is opening statements, I would like to firstly state that I think this debate is personal for you. I do not mean to offend, but looking at your profile, this is your first debate on the website and you are 53 years old male, so the fact that this is your first debate and that you are strongly against men getting married makes it seem as if this topic hits very close-to-home. I do not mean to deter you in any way or make your claims seem more subjective, just to tell you that if this is your way of acting out your aggression and feelings from a previous spouse who was unfaithful or stole from you, I am truly sorry, and I hope this debate makes you find some closure or even a little bit of relief. Having said this, though, I will try not to pull back any punches. Anyway, I believe that there are many positive attributes for men to get married. And, I will say, although the idea of same-sex marriage is open in this debate, I will limit it to a male-female marriage due to the statements against women in your first argument. If we want to get technical, the list of benefits can include (but are not limited to): family rates and plans for auto, health, and homeowners insurances; immigration benefits; visitation rights in jail or the hospital; the ability to create life insurance trusts; benefits for a spouse for Social Security, Medicare, disability, and veteran's programs; property inheritance rights; custody rights for biological children/orphans (even after divorce); estate and gift tax marital deductions; benefits from a spouse's pension plan; filing of bankruptcy is permitted to both spouses; funeral and bereavement leave; and many other small benefits of particular groups that are given to married couples. Not only this, but statistically if you have a child (or at least plan to in the future), a married couple creates a healthy future for their child, including about 86% chance that they will not divorce in their future marriage, and that 28% increase of household income above the poverty line. Looking at it from a religious view, it is the bond between two "souls" under God, and is what is considered one of the holiest of ceremonies in one's life. It's the decision to forever bond two lives together "in holy matrimony". Looking at it from a romantic view as well, it's a big step in a relationship. The highest point for a woman in her life, and if you love a woman enough to make her dreams come true with a happy marriage, that can be a benefit in itself. Looking at it socially, a couple who is married holds stronger in society than just a "boyfriend-girlfriend" relationship. It means a lot more to people. Of course, there can be many things that go wrong in a marriage, and a domestic partnership or regular relationship can still hold many benefits for two partners. But to say that it is "the single greatest mistake a man can make in his life" is far-fetched. A man could spend all of his money and fly to Africa with no supplies to survive and stay there in the wilderness for years on end without civilization and forever in fear of what is to come of his future. Or he could choose to become an accountant and study years of college courses for it, but not enjoy his work or even be good at it enough to land a job. In the end, marriage has many benefits. It just depends on the relationship of the two people involved in that marriage, and the bond can only hold through honesty, integrity, commitment, and love.