One of the things I really like about being married is being asked questions that force me to look at things from other angles. My husband excels at coming up with these.
Lately, an odd string of unexpected occurrences keeps taking me back to my roots, one of which was city planning, my college major. Not the where do we need some green space sort of planning nor the should this be zoned light industrial or commercial sort of planning, but the what should education, health care, and social services look like to create a city that works for those who need those services and all the rest who pitch in to provide them sort of planning.
I pointed out how stronger marriages appear to yield better students, fewer crimes, less hunger, less child sexual abuse, more independence and better health for the disabled and the aging, and even less energy use. He turned it around and asked how else we might obtain all those if we just let marriage fall by the wayside in favor of temporary cohabitation and easy no-fault divorce for those who feel they chose the wrong partner.
I have no answers yet, and I cannot imagine others would really choose temporary partnerships if they knew how to sustain satisfying permanent relationships, but I have to tell you I am head-over-heels crazy about him for asking such questions. I just had to add this to my list of reasons for being married.
Why Be Married? For the Questions
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