I was having lunch with my ex-girlfriend in Washington DC the other day and telling her what a nightmare of a husband I was during my marriage. She couldn’t believe my stories.
“You should never get married again,” she said.
“No kidding,” I said. “I came to that conclusion a long time ago. I’m just not made for it.”
Honestly, I don’t think I’m ever going to get married again. I shouldn’t. In addition to not having any of the qualifications to be a husband, there’s hardly anything about marriage that appeals to me.
Is it to build a family? I don’t want to have any more kids and even if I did, I can’t. I’ve had a vasectomy.
Is it for love and companionship until death do us part? I don’t think anything lasts forever, maybe with the exception of love itself, and only the thought of it. To be attached to another person for the rest of my life terrifies me. I need to feel free and any obligation or responsibility towards another person will drive me nuts. Sooner rather than later I will run away.
Which reminded me of one of my favorite topics of conversation. I shared it with my ex as I have with everyone else I meet.
A couple of years ago someone told me, or I read somewhere, that in some state in Germany, they have a marriage law, or they have proposed one, that’s quite revolutionary: Marriages automatically expire after two years unless both the husband and wife wish to renew it.
Think about it. You fall in love, get married and live together for two years. If everything goes beautifully, you renew your marriage vows. If not, you go your separate ways.
I still wouldn’t get married even if it was just for two years. But I think this let’s-try-for-two-years-and-see-if-it-works is a great idea for those who wish to tie the knot. It takes away the “forever” aspect of traditional marriage and ends it without the need for divorce, which can be legally difficult and emotionally devastating. At the same time, those who are still in love after two years and want to continue living together, can do so.
Everyone who’s heard this has loved it. What do you think?
