Marriage - 'tis a splendid thing when it works and an absolute nightmare when it ends in a divorce. No wonder the answer to the question, "Why is divorce so expensive?" is, "Because it's worth it!"
Now I personally don't have such a dark and dismal view of marriage. My own is wonderful, thankyouverymuch. Mrs. Fish tells me she feels the same way and I have no reason to doubt her. I have every intention of staying with her all our days and she feels the same. We're fortunate I guess.
Should marriage be a lifetime partnership? People grow and change. Some friendships last while other whither and die. People are as likely to grow apart, as they are to grow old together. The divorce rate in the United States, often quoted at around the 50% mark, seems to bear that out. If the rate of success in marriage is 1 in 2, why put such frightfully high expectations on a union that is so risky. Imagine if insurance companies would be asked to provide a policy on marriages. The premiums would be prohibitive.
IMHO, the vow would be worthless without "till death do us part."
Is a relationship that lasts 50 years or 60 years inherently more valuable than a relationship that has lasted 5 years or 6 years? If you are happy with your first spouse for 5 years, and happy with your second spouse for another 5 years, is that less laudable than being happy with the same spouse for 10 years? Wedding vows are a public declaration of what's going on in the relationship, and in that sense they are immaterial. However, I think they are a good encapsulation of what should build a stable and safe relationship and, in turn, society. The fact that humans in the last few decades have had an attention span problem when it comes to relationships might be reflective of our lower expectations of society.
:m: Peace.
Now I personally don't have such a dark and dismal view of marriage. My own is wonderful, thankyouverymuch. Mrs. Fish tells me she feels the same way and I have no reason to doubt her. I have every intention of staying with her all our days and she feels the same. We're fortunate I guess.
Should marriage be a lifetime partnership? People grow and change. Some friendships last while other whither and die. People are as likely to grow apart, as they are to grow old together. The divorce rate in the United States, often quoted at around the 50% mark, seems to bear that out. If the rate of success in marriage is 1 in 2, why put such frightfully high expectations on a union that is so risky. Imagine if insurance companies would be asked to provide a policy on marriages. The premiums would be prohibitive.
IMHO, the vow would be worthless without "till death do us part."
- "Do you take this woman, to have and to hold, until it becomes inconvenient?"
"Do you promise to love her and cherish her, until someone better comes along?"
"Do you take her, for better or worse, as long as it's fun?"
Is a relationship that lasts 50 years or 60 years inherently more valuable than a relationship that has lasted 5 years or 6 years? If you are happy with your first spouse for 5 years, and happy with your second spouse for another 5 years, is that less laudable than being happy with the same spouse for 10 years? Wedding vows are a public declaration of what's going on in the relationship, and in that sense they are immaterial. However, I think they are a good encapsulation of what should build a stable and safe relationship and, in turn, society. The fact that humans in the last few decades have had an attention span problem when it comes to relationships might be reflective of our lower expectations of society.
:m: Peace.