 |
Daily Events...
The Essence of
Fidelity
By John Hayward
The news this week is dominated by two cases of sexual impropriety
involving famous and powerful men. There are many differences
between Arnold Schwarzenegger and ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn,
not least of which is the difference between the former’s consensual
affair, and the charges of sexual assault filed against the
latter. One notable similarity is that both are married, and each
has four children with his wife.
The French press has been mocking Americans for caring about that sort
of thing, all the way back to the Bill Clinton impeachment saga.
Why make such a big deal about minor complications like marriage?
It is often suggested that modern science and economic power have
erased the original rationales for monogamous relationships.
They’re not strictly necessary for procreation any more. Men and
women no longer find themselves huddled in frontier cabins, sharing the
arduous chores required to maintain a decent life.
And yet… men and women still need each other, and for most of us, the
enduring emotional needs of a loyal relationship cannot be replaced by
the momentary fulfillment of random desire. When we learn of
someone who doesn’t feel that way, but still pretends to observe the
traditions of marriage, we recoil in disgust.
We need marriage because a society of free men and women depends on
trust, and marriage is the essence of fidelity. It does not
degrade the value of other relationships, or people who choose to
remain single, to note that something special occurs when a man and
woman promise their eternal devotion to each other. That union
kindles the flame of commitment, which spreads from marriage, to
family, and onward to illuminate communities and nations. There
really is no substitute, no matter how hard various ideologies work to
manufacture one.
— John Hayward
Read it with links at Daily Events
|
