tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27946614.post6222669604471014806..comments2024-03-07T14:43:21.888-08:00Comments on Whatever I want to write about: Till Death Do Us Part ... or until the contract expires?Sriram Khéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06907731254833435446noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27946614.post-82297295180846970242015-11-21T08:32:49.530-08:002015-11-21T08:32:49.530-08:00Yes, discouraging and complicated.
Given the real...Yes, discouraging and complicated.<br /><br />Given the reality, I wonder if at some point even the fairy tales that children read--and watch on screens--might have to be updated. I mean, there is a serious disconnect about tales of "happily ever after" and the real world--a kind of disconnect that did not exist in the old days of "till death do us part."Sriram Khéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06724218458246880137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27946614.post-14090968975965219052015-11-20T19:58:10.806-08:002015-11-20T19:58:10.806-08:00The short term contract sounds far from romantic a...The short term contract sounds far from romantic and not terribly functional. I wonder the effect on the birth rate if marriage were for renewable two year terms. Would people be reluctant to have children if they knew there was a possibility of the contract not being renewed? Of course that is always a possibility, even if the couple intends to last until death, as several of us are proof. Yes, intriguing. But also discouraging. Terribly complicated.Anne in Salemnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27946614.post-51181316195037366512015-11-20T13:15:37.988-08:002015-11-20T13:15:37.988-08:00Two commenters in different stages of life--one wa...Two commenters in different stages of life--one way younger than me, and another way, way older than me by two years ;)<br /><br />Mike, "serial monogamy" is not anything new. To some extent, the series of relationships are nothing but a series of contracts that were not renewed for whatever reasons. <br /><br />Ramesh, yes, theoretically the contract can easily last until death. But, increasingly it does not. Even my divorce was not the first in the extended family. I think that sooner or later, social practice will begin to reflect the reality ... and there is nothing wrong with that either.Sriram Khéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06724218458246880137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27946614.post-38533635655873542022015-11-20T07:36:56.409-08:002015-11-20T07:36:56.409-08:00A deeply intriguing argument ; I had never though ...A deeply intriguing argument ; I had never though of it this way.<br /><br />Yes, its a very different context today in which a family operates today. I am a great believer in the long term, but your observations on how that long termism is actually not happening is true as well. But, I submit, that should not make the long term association any less desirable.<br /><br />Parents are more often devoted to children for life even if they have separated. If that can be till "death do us part" why is it so difficult for us to do so with our spouses. I don't know. <br /><br />I am of the opinion that this is a bit like democracy. It could be argued to be a lousy system, but can be proved to be better than any other alternative !Rameshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782192840421019943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27946614.post-54993072150210671032015-11-19T14:52:26.762-08:002015-11-19T14:52:26.762-08:00The logistical hassles are a big part of why marri...The logistical hassles are a big part of why marriage is a lifelong commitment. A two-year commitment means that I could be on my 9th marriage before a child from my first marriage reaches adulthood. Imagine a child with over a dozen step-parents and the logic behind short-term marriages becomes a horror story. Couples that make the kinds of decisions that prolong our species need to stay together for quite some time; children, house payments and pets need a lot longer that any of the proposed contracts to come to fruition.<br />Is a 70-year marriage unfeasible for most people? Probably, but we see lots of people making such long-term commitments. By creating a short-term contract system for marriage, we'd be enforcing the cultural short attention span that gets complained about so often. We want the youth of today to hold jobs for 40 years and complete 4-6 years of college, but they can't be expected to love another person for more than 2?Mike Hothnoreply@blogger.com