A prevalent attitude today is frequently displayed by the words, "It's only a piece of paper." As in "Why get married? It's only a piece of paper." Really? Is that the sum of marriage? In life we find that almost all things of any value are accompanied by a piece of paper. For instance, odds are you came to this earth accompanied by a piece of paper. Yes! It's only a piece of paper, but try to live without this one piece of paper and see what the consequence might be.

First lets begin with trouble getting immunizations against disease, (for fear of lawsuits) problems obtaining admittance to elementary school, or to any school or college for that matter, no drivers license, no passport, no voting rights, no car, no car registration, no real estate purchases, no real estate ownership, no credit cards, no legal employment, no bank accounts, no legal citizenship to come home after a trip, no real way to cash checks, no way to rent an apartment, no lines of credit of any kind and no way to prove who you are and where you came from. Without that one piece of paper you would have to jump through hundreds of assorted loops to obtain these simple things and some things you just wouldn't be able to get.

So you see, if you are a hermit and live your entire life in a cave, then it's agreed your birth certificate was a waste of a perfectly good tree.  But really, how many hermits do you know? Last time I checked we all live together as a society. So then! Why do we never hear anyone say "Oh, it's only a piece of paper." In reference to a pay check? Why do we never hear anyone say "Oh, it's only a piece of paper" in reference to a dollar bill, or a bank statement or an investment account statement, or a deed to the house or farm?

Well the answer is simple. To the people who actually have or own a job, money, a bank or investment account, these paper symbols mean much more than the paper that represents the corresponding value! It represents an entitlement to a value that could be lost and not easily replaced if not legally represented to the society, the public or even the world at large to prove and maintain ownership. 

Therefore, if you ever hear the words, Marriage is only a piece of paper, what you really should be hearing are the words "Marriage holds no value to me and represents nothing that could not be easily replaced."  In other words "I'll just mosy down to the local bar and fetch me another one of you."

So in conclusion, if you are of no value and you can easily be replaced, then go ahead and marry the person who says "Marriage is only a piece of paper", because in the end, it's all about them and nothing about you. It truly is nothing personal. And the excuse to dump you will be the same reason they dumped the last you; He/She is holding me back, or He/She stops me from this or that, fill in the blank!

Or He/She prevents me from achieving some goal. Or He/She is like dead weight I have to carry. See? All the excuses were all about them and their perceived lack of something. It really is nothing about you because you are nobody in the eyes of these people. You can easily be replaced.

What it is in reality is a severe lack of respect for other people. And you my friend are literally just "another person that can be replaced".