Monthly Connection November- Soul Mates-Such a Thing?

I think in today's society, from the time that we are little, the idea of a soul mate is thrusted upon us. When I was little, I always believed that somewhere out there I had a soulmate just waiting to find me. The concept of a soul mate is a nice one, but I do believe there are a few errors in it.

First, if soul mates do indeed exist, I do not believe that everyone has one. In the handout given out in class all of the different interpretations of soul mates either implied, or came out and said that everyone has a soul mate. If this was the case, shouldn't more than about 50% of the adult population be married? Maybe this 50% just haven't found their soul mates yet. The amount of people who live life having never been married is only around 6%. Of course for the 94% of people that do get married, how can we be so sure that they have actually found their soul mate? Some people get married because they do not want to be alone, others get married for children's sakes, and of course there are all of the gold diggers and status seekers. Just because someone is married, does not mean that they are married to their soul mate.

Secondly, I truly believe that some people are meant to be alone. Even I think this is a terrible thought, but really, how could some people possibly get married? There are people who are emotionally unable to handle marriage (or a relationship at that) and others who are mentally unable to handle one.

So how does this all relate to what we have read in class? Well, in Wuthering Heights, are Catherine and Heathcliff really soul mates? I really like the part when Catherine says that her and Heathcliff's souls are made from the same thing. This idea would most closely fit what my idea of a soul mate is. I think that Catherine and Heathcliff should have been together, but does that necessarily make them soul mates? I don't know. My idea of a soul mate doesn't exactly include obsession. If they really were soul mates, I think they would have found a real way to be together since they had already found each other.

Do soul mates exist? I don't know, but they could. I believe more that some people are meant to be together, I do not think that that would mean that they are necessarily soul mates. Perhaps someday I will find a guy that would make me less skeptical of the whole concept. The unfortunate part about it is, that if he does exist, he could live in Siberia and we would be doomed to never meet.