The Marriage Phenomenon – Co-Habiting – Marriage – Divorce

COUPLES PRACTICE CO-HABITATION BEFORE MARRIAGE

The world and society is ever changing and that humanity has evolved more rapidly in the past 50 years but not all societies have developed at the same rate. My friend told me marriage license wa cost is around between $57 and $67.

While many couples in western nations swallow up change like swallowing delicacies, others may still live in much the same way as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago.

Most countries is still in practice something of cultural phenomenon in that we have accepted changes as an evitable part of life n the 21st century, yet still respect some of their traditions.

Certainly in the era of technology and economic progress, many countries would like to consider it on par with their western counterparts.

As for Asian countries should they consider movement, regardless of direction, as sort of progress or are we just imitating other country’s social norm?

One of the subjects that inevitably come to mind is when considering a changing society of the sensitive issue of couples living together before marriage.

Most of the family elders would consider that it is morally wrong, sinful and socially unacceptable living together before marriage as accordingly to traditional hand down education.

They may consider that it is a face losing matter in the eyes of their relatives and friends and reflects on the elders, questioning their parenting skills.

Marriage are scarce nowadays, couples would rather live together without the sanctity of marriage, perhaps it can be make easy to part when no documents bind them together.

Woman is especially becoming less sentimental as having to break a relationship seems less of a heartbreaking experience.

Men and women alike are no longer adhering to the social custom of getting married before having children.

Some career aggressive woman is happy to be single mother bearing and shouldering parental responsibilities.

It is no wonder that cultural evolvement have changed the long established behavioural marriage practices which is no more an important role in the present people’s lifestyle.

Both female and male now go about their daily routine, bearing and raising children or even adopting when the natural route of birth is not available.

Now what are the pros and cons of co-habiting before marriage?

If people who like or love each another and agreed to live under the same roof embarking on a life-long journey of commitment , before tying the knot, then what is wrong with it?

Why not parents consider that such lifestyles as a logical, cautionary move, where it give time and space for understanding each another more until the final decision to get marry.

If the unmarried couple can take precaution of unwanted pregnancy, it does not really hurt anybody at all. It can also benefit from future family problems after much understanding while living together for a certain period.

As people are living more independently, as opposed with their parents or in extended family units, it can be done much more easily with having to answer to their family seniors.

If we do consider moving back to the tradition teachings, a woman is supposed to be pure or remain a virgin before marriage.

Well, now is the question of whether their next of partner can accept the facts or not, which in this era, most male will not mind as it is also some sort of experience, that’s the interpretation and being a woman.

Why not men and woman both can have a chance to know what it is like to be with another person?

After all it is the chance to explore whether they are compatible in terms of physical intimacy before they enter into their long term commitment facing the outcome and make the vow “I Do!”

Most people feel this is a common way of life, but does not profess these types of more liberal thoughts.
Apparently nowadays, many couples do not even sign marriage licenses or certificates, it could be due to business or financial reasons, which also makes things much easier if they fall apart or their relationship goes sour.

Only in this case, they do not have to erase memory of the wedding, celebration and all of the entanglements between their respective families or to cause embarrassment when ask by community.

And what about female partners who live together?

Or male partners who co-habit?

While not all people will necessary approve of same-sex relations, there is something less taboo about these types of pairing, perhaps precisely because they are the same sex.

Well, what would people think if man and woman go on abroad together, people will inevitably pinpoint the aspect of “what is going on between them physically”.

What if two women travel or stay together, people will then delicately defined them as friends or sister hood companions.

The other thing is, they must be older people that live together who are not married and because of their age, it is not something that people chose to criticise.

So is it right for people who are in their 20s or even 30s to be treated like children with the family elders who are still actively give advice to all sorts of opinions?

In the western society, pregnant brides are easily accepted, they married with even after having a baby as their bride maid or some would not care less about critics.

Of course when we mentioned about the western society, it is a comparison of the more conservative Asians, happenings of such usually were kept lip-tight only with behind the back gossips.

Perhaps it is not such a bad thing in the changing times, Asian people wants to be appeared honourable morally to save face when circumstance does not suit local social standard.

Asians are stay to respect their elder’s opinions on many aspect of life, again an example of enduring traditional values and are proud of these cultural traits.

But on the other hand, should a traditional value apply to all personal matters?
As the answer to this question is; this is a personal issue and if it can satisfied and make us stay happy with the lifestyle, why not!

We of course have to live with the consequences (as expected) of our actions, and while the notion of finding fulfilment is really not a gender specify related issue, woman do still live in a society often judged by difference standards.

Actually the issue of co-habiting before marriage is not something that is going to make or break the traditional values of our fore parents, but whether is possible for ourselves to accept or participate in such lifestyle.

As most Asian behaviours, attitudes and perspectives seem to be evolving to reflect our western fellow’s lifestyle.

It will continue to ponder whether such social changes serve merely as a challenge, or to enhance, the social status of the world we live in today.

The conclusion, that is to all our female contemporaries , should have say; Live with your partners as you like before marriage but do not expect to escape any fallout or failure which may cause one to feel regret of their action.

Quote: “In a progressive country change is constant; …change… is inevitable.”
Benjamin Disraeli

AFTER CO-HABITING FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD – YOU MAY THINK OF GETTING MARRIED

If you agreed to walk down the aisle and recite the your vows, be prepared to understand that life is like a bed of roses with the thorns included, which means getting married, both of you are expected to faced a lot of uncertainties and shouldering responsibilities.

However after agreeing to be married to the person that you loved and cherished both of you have to find a so called middle path to compromise different thinking and lifestyles.

Once married, they are willingly to give up the dictates of their beliefs to accommodate the requirements of married life.

Marriage had preserved its quality for most people who are in love and turns selfish individuals into giving their souls who have to share the ups and downs together.

It is alarming these days to find unsuccessful marriage is increasing worldwide, and the most common reasons are financially involved, couples do not take time to understand individual character before marriage.

Most people do not find quality time for serious discussions or conversation to learn more about each another prior to tying the knot and making their lifetime vows.

One must know the basic and important steps to get to understand each another as suggested here;

OUR GOALS

Once your instinct feelings indicate that he or she is suitable as a long time companion, the first thing is to find out and shared their life’s goals.

How to raise your family?

How many children both of you intend to have or not any until financially stable?

How should your family progress the next 10 to 20 years? (It is difficult but can always try)

What are the plans for your career and how to budget and save for the family?

These are rather important basic planning and dream goals which deem fit to start a family otherwise couples will find they are on to separate roads eventually leads to divorce and make innocent kids to suffer psychologically.

PARTNER’S EXPECTATIONS

Find out and assess what your partner expect from you, which means the future responsibilities of the family and at the same time what do you expect from them?

These should be listed including all aspects like household chores, parenting activities, working lifestyle, family budget blueprint, future education plans for the children, buying a moderate house, family transportation(how many cars?) and untouchable saving as emergency funds.

It will really help, when both of you define all aspects and terms clearly; how to raise a family to avoid later conflicts and quarrels which again may lead to separation.

PARTNER’S HABITS AND CHARACTER

It will be wise to find out more about individual’s habits and lifestyle, because everyone have certain good and bad habits, hobbies, likes and dislikes, do and don’t character.

For example;
How much time does your partner spend in front of the television?

What are the favourite programmes?

What are the favourite past times and hobbies?

How does both of you handle money?

Are both of you great spender?

Is your partner a workaholic?

How does both of you fair in your job?

Does both of you love night life?

What about sexual frequencies?

Be précised to ask for more questions with firm answers, discuss all relevant issues whether to agreed or compromise before thinking of getting married.

These things may seem to be trivial and minor for most people, but in reality it had torn many couples apart. Committing ourselves to a married life is not simple after years of living independently as a bachelor or spinster.

THE INFLUENCE OF PARTNER’FAMILY

Both partners ought to learn what his or her family influence during their dating period.
How does both of you treat your families?

Do the families need financial support from both of you?

Do your families expect both of you to stay close with them after marriage?

Do the in-laws agreed to the marriage?

Keep tracking for more answers, because family involvement and influences may lead to some conflicts later on, if both of you are unaware and neglect these issues.

PARTNER’S HYGIENE

Most people care about daily cleanliness, which is also an important factor, so be tidy, clean yourself to eliminate odours, dress up neatly, for man shave daily, woman care for your daily make-up and hair-dressing.

Your bedroom must not be messy, it should be clean daily, tidy up the bed sheet and pillows, if possible fill the room with aromatic incense.

It is necessary to adopt the best of hygienic practice during your dating period than rather to adjust when both of you stay together and do not make any changes in order to maintain good relationship after the marriage.

STRESS AND ANXIETY

Marriage is not easy as ABC, there sure to have some minor or major conflicts and disagreements but at best is to compromise every time it happens within the same day rather than to keep quiet and left the issue left unsolved.

Because in life there are too many events that can bring forth stress and anxiety just like;
Lost a job

Lost money at stock market

Death of family members, relatives or close associates

Serious illness – children, family members, relatives, close associates

Children’s behaviours and discipline

Other miscellaneous causes

There are many more unforeseen circumstances or unpredictable happenings which may lead to stress and anxiety; it is just how well both of you with appropriate foresight and understanding to handle the situation to eliminate these stressful moments.

Try to encourage each another when facing difficult situations or when things goes wrong, instead of blaming, finger pointing, grumbling, create a quarrel and critic without reasons.

At such moments, be quick to provide a shoulder for your partners to cry upon, display your true love, cuddle them and stand side by side in regardless of how rough the situation.

Although it is not possible to know everything beforehand about a person before marriage but smoothening out all obstacles and start to learn how to share daily woes is part of the preparation of your lifetime commitment.

As time goes by, partners can automatically discover much more about individual’s character and if their habits good or bad is being acceptable than partners can go ahead to prepare their most wonderful moment, “The Wedding”.

At the wedding which dignified an expression of love for two people who want to make their union absolute in a proper ceremony with witness. It is for them to recite their marriage vows promising each another that their marriage will never fail till the very end.

Quote: “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.”
Thomas A. Edison

DO NOT DIVORCE – TRY TO RECONCILE – CHILDREN ARE INNOCENT
There are myriad reasons for marriage failures, but if love is deeply practiced than it will reduced divorce cases in which case children do not need to face broken family sufferings.

What actually causes most marriage failures?

The problems are that most people expect to meet and recognised the right person, to instantly fall madly in love, than get married without giving themselves a chance to explore real love.

Usually a “head over heels” romance blocks our brains to function improperly, thinking that romantic novel and movies can magically make them to live happily ever after.

Normally, when the brain warns us that there is something seriously wrong, the romance often overwhelms the thinking and become the justification for believing that the wonders of love can conquer all obstacle along the successful path of marriage.

Another reason is hoping the partner will definitely change or tame because of the great miracle named love. In reality, one should not mind in taking a step by step format, to achieve love before committing themselves to settle down in a home and to build a family.

This misconception explains why so many marriages fails and had to faced breaking up of family which more than often hurts the kids more than adults.

We must realise that the family is the most basic social unit. It begins when two people agreed to start sharing their common lifestyle together.

However in this age and time, this union comes in many different forms; traditional nuclear families resulting from conventional marriage, couples living as part of an extended family, step families, co-habitation, and homosexual couples.

It is not a surprise to find out that registration of marriage as in the current statics shown decline over the years while divorce is just the opposite progressively climbing higher.

This scenario certainly looks different 30 years ago when many woman were willingly to tolerate and suffer in hopeless situation without even dreaming of a divorce.

To many, it is rather living in an abyss of despair was better than enduring the shame and embarrassment of a divorce.

Other underlying issues being helplessness, children’s future, financial dependency made leaving a marriage utterly frightening.

Bringing up the divorce option would open up the Pandora’s Box and led to many ex-husbands of trouble marriage warning friends and relatives shying away from their former wives.

But the thoughts of the present woman nowadays believe that a divorce is better off rather tormenting oneself in a bitter and unhappy marriage although they realise the distressing experience their children have to face.

With such situation, people cannot deny that it is important to assume the psychological reactions of their children are solely due to the divorce.

A divorce is usually a consequence of long term conflict and disharmony between their parents, and children very frequently are forced to take sides.

Well, as a matter of fact, if the husband and wife still have some feeling or desires for each another and children involved, consider to stay back without breaking the family even with the slightest chance reconcile at all cost.

But if your sanity is jeopardy, you should know what is next; it’s just plain and simple sentido comun or common sense.

Often children are used as pawns in such family struggle, which is the most painful experience and the roles they had to play prior to the divorce.

More than often if the divorce fails to end the arguments and the turbulent relationship between parents continue after the divorce, several studies had shown that children will exhibit the greatest incidence of behavioural or psychological maladjustment.

The divorce per se need not be more than a transient stress to the children if parents are alert to make sacrifices for the children by agreeing to dissolve their marriage amicably and to support the moral and having shared responsibilities as parents.

It is rather important for the children to realise that even after the divorce, the parents still continue to love and look after their childhood requirements such as education, vacations, food, clothes, and etc.

Obviously a divorce is not simple issue but a complex situation where that needs careful considerations of all parties involved especially the innocent children whom are going to suffer the most during their upbringing.

Some children staying with biological parents even wished that they could celebrate important events like Christmas Day and New Year twice like their peers with divorced parents.

Dear parents, do bear in mind that life is short, try to swallow bitterness, calm all disputes between partners, practice give more take less, be mindful to produce lots of love for your family, do your best to avoid tearful separation from your love ones.

Quote: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Mahatma Gandhi

The article is all about couples and marriage, an extract from friends and relatives whom narrated their experience to the writer, Chayanee.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1731473

Why Artists Are Alienated And Rejected

Why are creative people so often in opposition to the world around them? Why do we feel alienated, out of step, even rejected? Using a tv storyboard you are not only making your life easier but you also doing it accurately.

For those of us who recognise these things, there are a series of interlocking answers, which are, I believe, affirming of who we are and what we do.

In every group, society and nation there is a set of accepted, tolerated, agreed upon ideas, dogmas, and archetypes that are considered acceptable to those in command of the society. Politicians and their police, their law courts, the media owners and the ‘approved’ and therefore celebrated artists all play a part in the construction of these things, which together may be called the ‘cultural cannon’.

Adherence to and celebration of this cannon is deemed ‘normal’. Normal means that the artist conforms to the attitudes of the dominant social, cultural and political ideas of the period. For instance: ‘greed is good’, ‘regime change in distant countries is acceptable’, ‘non judicial killing of enemies is morally acceptable’, profits are more important than employment’, and so on. This means that questioning the status quo is unacceptable because the whole existences, rationale and best interest of those in power is to maintain things as they are. Questioning their authority, opening people’s hearts to new feelings and their minds to new ideas is dangerous to the status quo.

What artist worth his/her salt does not question unfairness, injustice, inhumanity? What artist, worth being called an artist is insensitive to the needs of the people around them?

If the so-called artist is not concerned or caring, he/she probably produces entertainment as best and a kind of propaganda at worst because their work embraces the acceptable cultural cannon. By its very nature it is a celebration of the status quo.

Because film and television are such powerful forms of media, followed by the popular press, they are strictly controlled and regulated in terms of their political content. It is not that there is some sort of plot – at least in the West – but rather a chain of interlocking financial and political interests that create controlling and self-regulating hierarchies (for instance from reporter to sub-editor to editor to publisher to their advertisers, board members and political cronies) who, through control of job advancement and security, will subtly enforce what a reporter may or may not write about or with what opinion they inform their text. Art gallery owners will know the taste of their wealthy patrons, publishers will assume the taste and needs of their fiction readers and so on. Once they reduce, circumscribe, dumb down their audiences, this becomes the expected, the norm. When asked why they dumb down, they protest that this, which they have cultured in the audience, is what they now crave.

Art and artists who seek to represent the cultural cannon, to be a part of the zeitgeist, to subsume themselves in popular dumbed down culture are artists who can never rise to the full heights of art. They represent the given, the already acceptable, the known. They copy, rehash, they represent dead theatre, the divided self, a frozen understanding of the past. The paid for critics will admire them, translate them for us, explain why they are good and those who do not accept the cultural norms are bad.

When a real artist challenges the status quo, they are, in the West, scorned or ignored and isolated. In places like China and the ex Soviet Union, artists are and were sent to mental asylums and treated with drugs to make them comatose. After almost every coup, invasion or regime change the new authorities arrest the trade unionists, the intellectuals and the artists because they are seen as possible focal points for resistance or rebellion. The repressive sociopaths, fascists, martinets, racists, nationalists, religious or other ideological fundamentalists amongst us are right; art is about dreams, dreams demand change and change challenges the status quo. This is why real art is truly dangerous.

The combined social expression of each individual in society, called the collective unconscious – that which is alive in every individual of the group, maintains a constant exchange or interaction with the cultural cannon. It cannot be otherwise as we individually receive and interact with the assumptions of the cannon in our education, in the media, in other’s opinions and in virtually everything we see and hear everyday.

In the beginning a victorious ruling establishment seek to overthrow the old culture with the new. Soon though, as the revolution, coup or whatever political change has occurred becomes established, their institutions, ideas, belief systems, morality becomes moribund, rotting from self-interest, corruption, exhaustion, conflicting ideological or financial. Their newly constructed culture, created to celebrate them turns into cant, superficial entertainment, dogma. The once heroic archetypes become rigidified.

But often repression, mediocrity and injustice create their own contradictions in society. People begin to wake up and consciousness becomes, in the hands of poets, intellectuals and artists, transformative. The unknown begins to have a shape and then a name and the dull collective consciousness and the repressive or unjust apparatus of control begins to seem less inevitable. Imagination leads to the possibility of imagining change.

The artist who is in opposition to the cannon is by necessity in opposition to its cultural values and is therefore often alone. In such a phase, their work is by necessity tragic. This defines the hero who knows he/she must attack and destroy the old to create the new. Artists are isolated from their society and united with their destiny as they create an image of the future. If the sensibility of the artist has remained alive, inquisitive and rebellious, a psyche which has not been suppressed or divided from itself or by the pressures of the surrounding society or by life, that artist, although alone, will sense the inner working of the collective unconscious and be amongst the first in society to make these invisible become visible. Artists, true artists are our moral weather vanes, turning in the winds of change long before the rest of society even sense a breeze.

This is why artists are alienated, out of step and feel rejection. But this is also why artists must continue to produce uncompromising work.

Much of this analysis is a result of my personal journey and the way I have seen my best work treated. I continually asked why it was that the most important work I have done in my life, I have had to do for free, unsupported and often ignored by the gatekeepers but admired by audiences. I am constantly asked things like ‘but why is this not on TV’ or ‘why has this not been printed or published’. I believe this article answers some to those questions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7129423

Tips For A Better Pregnancy Revealed

Expecting a baby is exciting, especially if you happen to be welcoming your first born but first you need to protect the baby by learning what not to eat during pregnancy. Nevertheless, the fact remains that being pregnant isn’t easy and you’ll surely come across several challenges along the way. Even though there are wide ranging products specially engineered to make a pregnant mother’s life easier (such as the Comfort-U Body Pillow which is remarkably lauded in maternity pillow reviews among the many other products), one can find really still some things that would not just vanish even if you are equipped with every one of the right stuff.

Listed below are some of the typical challenges of pregnancy and ways to bypass them:

Tiredness and the Way to Avoid it

Fatigue is actually harmful to someone who’s expectant. Nevertheless, it really is something which you are vulnerable to. In order to avoid fatigue, sufficient rest is essential. It’s best that in the daytime to take naps around 30 minutes or maybe more. While doing this, it really is also extremely recommended to elevate the legs by placing around 1-2 pillows beneath, preferably raised more than your heart. This minimizes the pressure of your weight off your legs.

Exercising is also highly advised as long as your doctor thinks that it is fine. When you get to labor and delivery occurs, you will surely be happy you had some exercise.

Inflamed Feet and the way to Handle it

Among the common issues is swollen feet. I know this isn’t a life threatening issue but it really is entirely uncomfortable for an expectant. Well the remedy really is easy. Take two buckets and fill up one with warm water, and the other with cool water. Place both your feet on warm water to start with for 3 minutes, and after that switch it to the cold pail for approximately 30 seconds. Continue this for about six times.

The Trouble with Heartburn and ways to Manage it

Similar to swollen feet, this is a problem in terms of comfort, particularly for someone who is expectant. It really is referred to as heartburn due to the acid reflux that will reach a sphincter in the wind pipe (the cardiac sphincter). The reason for this is the growing pressure in the abdomen. Believe it or not, the answer is simply by eating almonds.

Yes, almonds may help you control heartburn. These tasty nuts have substances that reinforce the valve between your stomach and the esophagus. Naturally one has to avoid food that unwinds such a valve. Deep-fried foods, peppermint, tomato products, coffee, alcohol, and citrus drinks are a few that expectant women need to avoid if they desire to lower incidences of heartburn.

Now these are simply three of many other stuff that “pregnancy products” can not address outright. Nonetheless, if you’re equipped with the correct products (e.g. pregnancy pillows to help you sleep better, the appropriate pantyhose that can prevent varicose veins, and so forth.) your pregnancy will certainly be less difficult and better. Get ready for pregnancy journey.