Love and Marriage

It seems to be that my Sociology class on Monday nights is never lacking in lively discussions. Last night, the discussion revolved mostly around the topic of the family. Issues ranged from Polygamy to "hitting" children. The discussion I found the most... interesting was on love and marriage. The claim was that in societies where love is the main reason behind marriages, the divorce rate is higher. In societies with arranged marriages, the divorce rate is considerably lower.

I will now take a minute to say that this post may be a little edgy... meaning for more mature... how do I say this? Not for little people! There we go.

While my professor did acknowledge the fact that in most societies with arranged marriages, divorce is illegal, he still seemed to press the idea that maybe marriage because of love was the big issue behind the higher divorce rates. Also presented was the idea that marriage for love was a relatively new concept (I disagree, but I didn't say why).

But could there be another reason the divorce rate is so high that is going unnoticed?

Here is my take on the situation; what are we falling in love with as a society? I once heard a lively discussion on a local radio station about how stupid it was to wait until after marriage to... yeah, that. The DJ's likened it to buying a car before taking it for a test drive. I was completely dumbfounded! So this is what the popular ideas of the day are??

OK, so on the more obvious side, people are not cars, I want to stress this point. This analogy - which is evidently more widespread than I imagined - is completely bogus. You get to know a car by taking it for a test drive. You get to know people by spending time with them.

My thoughts were much more organized last night. :/

So, what are we falling in love with in this society, the "test drive"? I think so. That is why the divorce rate is so high; people fall in love with the "test drive" and they don't know who they are marrying. After marriage, the high wears off and then the realization sets in: "Oh boy, I married a jerk!"
"Well if you had waited, and instead taken the time to get to know the person, maybe you would have known that before you got married, eh?"

Wow, so when the Bible instructs us to wait until after marriage to have sex, it's not just being old fashioned, it's being logical! Now there's a new concept! (sarcasm)
Actually, the reasons for this instruction are many, and all of them are logical.

Now is this the sole reason for divorces? No, of course not. But if people would just realize the benefits of waiting, it is my firm belief that the divorce rate (no matter which one you look at) will plummet. Or maybe I'm just being old fashioned and legalistic.

I had some other points to make, but I have to leave now.