It's being ages since I put any new posts on this blog and a lot has happened since then. I met a wonderful guy who I'm absolutely nuts about. We hope to get married by the end of the year and I look forward to starting a life-long adventure, filled with love, faith and hope with him.
Marriage, that is one word that connotes different meanings to different people. Previously, marriage was viewed as a contract between two people which was meant to last forever or end at the death of either of the parties to the contract. Modern marriages, however, have taken on new meanings. It is no longer 'for better, for worse' as previously stated in wedding vows, marriage has now become 'for better, for best'. People walk in and out of marriage at will in a fashion modeling the purchase, exchange and refunds that occur in retail stores.
You walk into the store, make a purchase and are issued a receipt outlining the retailer's refund policy. At home, you become dissatisfied with your purchase and return the item to the store within the specified time limit. The retailer then offers you a refund or another item in exchange depending on its refund policy.
In the case of marriage, you meet someone you like, decide to get married. You then exchange vows with them promising to stay together through thick and thin (the conventional wedding vow states marriage is meant to last through good and bad times). After the exchange of vows, you are issued a marriage certificate (similar to a receipt issued by a retailer). However, a refund or exchange policy is not stated anywhere on this 'receipt'.
After a few weeks, months and in some cases, years, you decide you are not satisfied with your purchase (your partner). You can then either ask for a divorce (not technically a refund) and remarry (similar to an exchange in the retail store) or remain single and change partners at will.
The impact of this trend on society is an increase in the number of children from broken homes engaging in anti-social behaviour. Violent crime is on the rise and increasingly the age at which these crimes are being committed is falling rapidly. Teenage pregnancy is also on the rise, same with alcoholism and drug use among young people. Most of the negative behaviour witnessed among young people is actually a cry for attention and affection. Some are being neglected at home because the parents are separated and are probably too busy working to make ends meet.
In my opinion, I think marriage should be a life-time commitment which should not be taken lightly. It is like wine which matures and tastes better with time. It is true that marriage is not a bed of roses; here, you have two different individuals, from dissimilar backgrounds with probably differing outlooks to life, coming together. There will be personality clashes, disagreements, family problems (such as financial problems,illness or even death). All these should only serve to strengthen the marriage, creating an even tighter bond between both individuals. Tests and trials only make us stronger and help build character in us.
With love, tolerance, good communication skills and understanding, every couple possess a good chance of making a success of their marriage.
