Stemming The Tide Of Failed Marriages

Stemming The Tide Of Failed Marriages

By Patrick Alumona Junior

The trifle saying is familiar marriages are made in heaven.

Every now and again, people have resorted to mocking at this saying apparently because of the abysmal state of marriages they have become acquainted with in their neighborhood.

Majority of marriages nowadays deserve not only ridicule but also contempt.

Even the most hardened cynic will deny that the institution of matrimony as it stands today, has been flagrantly desecrated.

Those who affirm that marriages are made in heaven believe, and rightly so, that already at birth, every human being brings along certain qualities, the harmonious development of which can only be achieved through marrying those endowed with matching qualities.

And in complementing each other, the partners obtain their full value.

In such Unions, everything, so to speak falls marvelously into place.

The couples develop peacefully and voluntarily serving each other.

Shoulder to shoulder, they enthusiastically face all mundane trials and complications associated with marriage.

Locating a suitable partner only demands unprejudiced weighing on the scale of sincerity as well as keeping eyes, ears and heart on the alert.

This is commonly feasible during courtship when prospective couples navigate the possibility of entering into marital vow.

Why has marital bliss become so fragile that the ovation hardly fades away before the couples file for divorce? If the truth be told, the embarrassing rate of failed marriages in Nigeria as elsewhere is indicative of the tragic degradation of moral values especially among the youths coupled with the widening latitude and insatiable crave for materialism and physical comfort.

Against all odds, Majority of young women run around irresolutely in circles searching for the dream man.

Underneath their motive, the dream husband translates to a young man of immense wealth and captivating physique.

Neither the source of the man’s wealth, nor his love is relevant. All that count is money and the comfort.

In the same vain, majority of young men fritter away their youthfulness seeking the dream woman.

And for all intents and purposes, the dream woman adds up to a damsel graciously endowed with physical beauty and who will also be able and willing to make a baby of every egg in her womb.

Whether the woman possesses commensurate character of a good wife and love for him means nothing.

Regrettably, the misplaced priorities in choosing a partner have created a situation of garbage in garbage out in present day marriages.

Few and far between are prospective couples with sufficient wisdom to enter into marriages for the right reason and remain there for better or for worse, which is the basis for genuine love.

To turn around the present trend of failed marriages which has assumed the speed light, there must be an attitudinal change to the objectives of going into marriage.

With love, all things are possible, not so with money. In God’s scheme of things, the ideal household is where both partners invest appropriate time, effort and resources in their marital relationship.

Good wives should always assert themselves and demand fairness, especially when things appear awry.

Husband and wife are two individuals with unique proclivities and idiosyncrasies. As such misunderstandings are naturally expected.

Couples should compromise each other’s weaknesses and celebrate their strong points.

Parents who drive their daughters especially the under-aged, into incompatible marriages by persuasion, cunning or subtle reasoning should think again.

The burden of responsibility will sooner or later fall back on them with multiple effects.

To underscore the importance of marital respect and servanthood, Ambrose Pierce, an American Veteran journalist described marriage as a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, adding up to two.

Prospective couples must therefore, take the trouble to look before they leap.

Edited By Grace Namiji