Thursday, September 25, 2008 Traversing the path of compromise By Noemi C. Fetalvero Two empty bottles
“LUCK is often times an excuse for not doing the work.”
This is a quotation from the movie Room10. The statement was a response to what an attending nurse said about how lucky the man was to be married to the same woman for 65 years.
Love and marriage seemed to have lost its meaning as arts and culture evolved from impressionism to contemporary, from classical to rap. The couple alluded to are one in a million who still savor the real meaning of the words “love” and “marriage.”
In the United States divorce rates are more rapid than the staggering highs and lows of the Wall Street stock market. Some Filipino couples abroad are part of the statistics.
The proverbial words that are supposed to bind husbands and wives together— “till death do us part”—have been redefined to mean “sex and companionship till we cease to satisfy each other’s physical needs.”
“Roommates,” and “live-in companion,” and “mail-order bride” have become clichés. They have caused the sanctity of marriage to be some kind of a walk-in-closet where you can just step in and step out as you please with a new wardrobe.
The western world has so much influence on how the modern Filipino views situations. A danger sign blinks from a distance; we just have to be more aware of its warning.
Here at home, some do not even bother to file legally, but just opt to separate ways. When spouses look for options, it is a tell tale sign that they have given up.
As a consequence of the options taken, children get devastated for a split in the family is difficult, especially for the young.
To change course midstream is not easy; in the same token that staying and working things out may not be a honeymoon.
However, if the couple decide to traverse the path of compromise, a better solution can be reached without resorting to
separation.
The couple in Room 10, who had to work for the love and marriage of their life, chose to fill their two empty bottles with love, trust and respect for each other no matter what; thus giving essence to the words “till death do us part.”
