Dear Editor,
Recently, after meeting with some friends, our conversation turned towards marriage. I was surprised to hear one of the guys say that he wasn't a fan of traditional marriage and never wanted to get married or have kids. He was very cynical of marriage, and who could blame him? His parents divorced when he was younger, and his mom had recently remarried. To him, marriage ties you down and takes away your freedom. This attitude worries me.
Marriage has taken many hits in the past century and has been losing its appeal in the public eye. The media continues to perpetuate marriage as an institution that is restrictive and boring. It shows single life as the pinnacle of freedom, happiness, and excitement while marriage is something for the older generation. Popular shows like 'Friends' and 'Frasier' are excellent examples of how the media perpetuates these myths.
Shows are continuing to go lower, because we will watch them. The new show, 'Temptation Island' is lowering the bar even further to completely mock marriage and commitment.
It is true that many marriages are failing today, leaving many feeling that divorce is inevitable and marriage is hopeless, but this is a myth. Marriage is a wonderful institution with many benefits, including better health, a longer life, and happiness. We don't need to support programs that spend time and money portraying marriage as a failing institution. We can and should support programs and organizations that do support marriage. Several organizations have shown that marriage can succeed. Three such organizations have helped many people in struggling marriages and have done a lot to help preparing for a lasting marriage: www.divorcebusting.com; www.marriagecrossraods.org and www.focusonthefamily.org. Show your support for marriage by joining their cause.
David Farnsworth
Orem, Utah