I personally believe that a person's word should be utterly truthful. If I hear "I swear," offered spontaneously, I instantly think that what is said is possibly not credible. Truthful people don't use that expression to give them more cred. In my own case, if I am stating an opinion, or an intention, or a belief - even about my own future actions - I clearly state them as such
A contract is a solemn promise, which is why it is signed (even electronically). Therefore, defaulting on a loan or another contract is proof of a dearth of character. Oral contracts should also be binding, even without written evidence.
On the other hand, when a person or people create a fictitious "person," which is to say, a corporation, limited-liability company, and similar entities, anyone dealing with that entity must be aware that ITS promises and commitments are NOT THE SAME as the commitments of the individual owning or signing for the entity. This phenomenon is known in law as "the corporate veil."
The subject cannot be left without mention of the most solemn promise that one can make in this life, a marriage vow. While it is purportedly permanent and lasting until the couple is divided by death, it is intrinsically personal, and the possibility exists that the "person" that one marries is not truly the person that comes out some years later, in which case is the vow breakable?
Certainly not without much trepidation.
