Liberation from the bondage of marriage ?

I sometimes wonder whether i will ever get married. Reasons for this doubt are not tough to understand.

Firstly, the " essential qualification " i look for in a prospective spouse is that she should be financially independent and not a " typical indian housewife" . Based upon my experiences and observation, i know that most indian females don't really look forward to a career.. they pursue education ( even professional education ) solely as a means of finding a rich groom and then sitting comfortably at home at watching saas-bahu serials ,the rest of their lives. I often fear that my spouse will declare herself to be " career-minded , and not like those girls " before marriage, but soon after marriage, she will find a lame excuse to quit her work. ( I know that a rare variety of indian females are genuinely career-minded , but i know they settle for nothing less than a millionaire for a groom )

Secondly, as a psychology student i am well aware of the fact that atttraction and liking between two people is often dependent upon the degree of similarity and dissimilarity between the two. While I am a die-hard atheist, i am very well aware that most indian females are hindu fundamentalists ( vegetarian, don't eat eggs on tuesday, don't eat anything on specified days, don't get haircut on specified days , wearing costly rings on fingers to ward off evil and for " luck " ) -- I am not sure how an atheist and a hindu fundamentalist would be able to live together peacefully. Psychologists have not been able to find any evidence for the popular belief " Opposites Attract " and further, it is well known that " dis-similarity depresses liking much more than similarity enhances it " --hence in the case of sharp dissimilarity in values , an affectionate , loving relationship is not the most likely outcome.( I have often observed that my atheist friends are much more likely to make friends with like-minded people; experts have long known that " birds of a flock fly together " )

Whats more, most indians continue to have outdated views on mental illness, which i often find to be offensive. That even further dents my chances of finding a like-minded partner.

Surely , I am well aware of the importance of intimate relationships in ensuring a happy, satisfying life ( intimate relationships are known to be a important factor in " subjective well-being" ). But in this case , i am very doubtful i would be able to establish an intimate, close relationship with someone i cannot agree with , on some of the most important values in life . Whats more, i dont consider financial liability a good cost to pay for intimacy.

Think about it, Facebook offers me the oppurtunity of meeting and befriending like-minded people, and even establishing intimate relationships , without having to assume any financial responsibility.

Does that mean, I would end up being "permanently single " as many of my Facebook friends ? Well, only time will tell that .