A friend of mine from high school lost contact with all of us about a year or two after graduation. He met a psychopathic girl who demanded his attention 24/7.

So naturally he knocked her up and married. They have 4 kids.

He works an incredibly difficult job, but has established a sterling reputation, is a genuinely good guy and gives an absolute master class on being a loving father. The dude lives and breathes for his kids. They've been together for 6 years now.

Imagine his surprise, when earlier this very week, he is approached by a police officer at his work. The police officer informs him that his wife has taken out a restraining order against him, and he is served with divorce papers.

No warning. The weekend prior they were away on a family vacation posting happy family photos on Facebook.

In his shock, he pulled out his phone to call her as soon as he was served by the cop, and the cop arrests him on the spot for breaking the restraining order. The dude didn't even have a chance to comprehend what was happening, and he was arrested at his workplace, in front of his boss and coworkers. I am not fucking joking.

He hasn't heard from his children in almost a week. His wife has responded to nothing. His family has attempted to contact hers, to no avail. As if the universe hasn't shit on this dude hard enough, it's his fucking birthday too.

This guy has NO RECOURSE. Until he can get in front of a judge, he has NO assurance of the safety of his children. He can't know what poison their mother is feeding them about their father. He can't ask them about their days at school. He can't kiss them goodnight. He will be arrested just for asking. For all he knows, she's left the state, or the country, or smothered her kids under pillows. You think your girlfriend missing her period gives you anxiety? Try having everything that matters to you in your life suddenly and without warning ripped away and hidden behind a massive force of police officers and lawyers.

Fuck. This. System.

Marriage is a six-shooter with five bullets. Every once in awhile the trigger gets pulled and nobody dies, but for every one who plays with the gun and lives to tell the tale, there's five who get fucked.

This guy had a promising future in a respectable career. He is now weeks away from being reduced to a complete wage slave on the hook for alimony and the support of 4 children for the next 16 years minimum. Meanwhile his wife is going to get financially reimbursed for kidnapping his children without warning, and she'll be told she's "so strong, so brave" in the process.

Stop reading these stories we share here and writing them off as simple anecdotes. You are not a special snowflake. You will not be the guy who survives the sinking of the Titanic- you will be the guy who is in the freezing cold water asking "Why the fuck did I get on that stupid fucking ship? FUCK."

Do Not Get Married.