How Long Is Long Enough?

There is an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Ted asks Stella to marry him...after a couple months of dating. According to DH, this is a little crazy. He's only known her a couple months!

This question has always been interesting to me. My question: How long is long enough? When did our society shift toward a long dating followed by a long engagement model? Why does this change in times of war and stress?

I don't think there's one right answer to this question. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and places where histories play a big part. If you've been hurt in the past and don't get past that easily then maybe it takes you longer to know that this person will not do the same. Maybe you've been hurt but you say C'est la vie and jump back in quickly. Maybe, like most people, it's not so black and white but an eternity of shades of gray.

How much of this also is a direct result of our culture? The idea that we, both men and women, can have it all. We just have to wait longer for some of it. And sometimes, we wait too long. Sometimes we let the most amazing opportunities pass by because we're so focused on what we want instead of what we need.

Do we search for the unattainable or the mythical in our other half? Are we always looking for something better to come along? When did we shift from seeing someone as a good loving capable providing human and only see them in terms of how attractive lucrative cutting edge they are?

I feel like these two ideas are completely intertwined. If we weren't always looking for something better maybe we could see what is in front of us. If we could focus on the person then we wouldn't be blinded by the public persona.

These are just some thoughts, half-formed at best, regarding how long is long enough.