Many Florida residents have this idea about marriage; that it is a sacred bond between two people who truly love each other. It is a happy moment, one that has no ulterior motive — besides, the wedded couple vows that they will love each other until the end of their days. So clearly marriage is not a flawed system, right?
Not exactly. Besides the fact that the divorce rate has been hovering around 50 percent for some time now; there are many people who get married for reasons other than love. Some of these reasons are more morally ambiguous than others; but it shows that marriage is not necessarily the eternal bond of love that it is made out to be.
For example, many couples get married so that one of the spouses can be granted citizenship. Some people get married to avoid legal situations, such as having to testify against someone. Other people get married to get rid of legal situations altogether, as the bond they enter into results in a dissolved case.
So what is the message here? Well, first of all, despite the way we have painted marriage in this story, most couples out there go into marriage with the right idea. However, given the national divorce rate, it is crucial for these couples to protect themselves before they tie the knot. Consult an attorney and draft a comprehensive prenuptial agreement so that each spouse retains the appropriate assets should a divorce arise.
The other thing to take away from this story is that, just like marriage, divorce can be the solution to a problem (namely, an unhappy marriage). Divorce should not be portrayed as this terrible thing — it can liberate people from an unsatisfying chapter in their lives and lead them down a path to a better life.
Source: ABA Journal, “Marriage as a loophole — what’s love got to do with it?,” Brian Sullivan, May 1, 2013
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