Marriage, in what is evidently its most popular version, is now on the one hand an intimate “relationship” involving (ideally) two successful careerists in the same bed, and on the other hand a sort of private political system in which rights and interests must be constantly asserted and defended. Marriage, in other words, has now taken the form of divorce: a prolonged and impassioned negotiation as to how things shall be divided. During their understandably temporary association, the “married” couple will typically consume a large quantity of merchandise and a large portion of each other.Wendell Berry
About This Quote
The popular way of thinking about marriage, in which it is primarily about intimacy, romance and love, while increasingly taking on the form of a political system in which rights and interests must be constantly asserted and defended (especially by lawyers), has led to the divorce rate in America approaching 50 percent. Marriage is primarily about romance and intimacy, but increasingly it seems to be primarily about politics.
Source: What Are People For?
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