Is Marriage The Ideal?

Here I am...

Standing at the age of 30, with an entire life ahead of me still to observe, feel, and experiment with.
Status quo states that I should be:
Settling down (I'm barely "settled" even when I'm sitting)
Looking for "The One" (who names their child The One anyways?)
Having kids (I love kids, by the way, but I'd rather have a snack)

Honestly, I feel that our generation will completely DISMANTLE the older rules of relationships...

Our parents and grandparents come from a time where raising a family was a team effort. Women stayed home to "tend to the kids", while the man brought home the bacon. Wow...what a difference 50-some years makes, huh?

In the dot-com era, starting your own business is as easy as making a store front on Big Cartel, and advertising can be automated via social media. Who needs to bring home the bacon...when you can fry your bacon as you work?
Families have become less inter-dependent, and it's completely normal for singe mothers, and fathers, to never need the income of the other in order to make it all work.

So now, I ask myself at 30...is marriage a goal for me?
Well, in order to answer that question, I have to review a few things.

First, can I see myself emotionally attached to one, and only one, for the rest of my life?
Sure! I've never been the type to shy away from commitment, so no worries there.

Second, is the financial engagement worth it?
Well, there lies my concerns..

The idea of being contractually obligated and bound to another person is somewhat limiting to me. I mean, if I work
hard for my own financial stability, should I not be able to enjoy those benefits long-term....REGARDLESS of if my
romantic life is in shambles?

I think that a majority of my freedom-loving, future-thinking, progressive Millennial friends would agree that the older ideas of marriage are too outdated for our lifestyle.

Is marriage truly the goal, the "ideal"?
I don't know...but IDEALLY, I would like to be loved.