[everdrive]

Indeed, and we’re seeing the downsides of easily-dissolved marriages. Many people would have been better if they felt they couldn’t abandon their marriage, and either had to work on communication, work on themselves, or just get through a rough patch. Just doing what you “want” often just equates to “making a hedonistic decision based around short-term pleasure.” Not always, of course, but it happens often enough that it’s a meaningful pattern. I’m sure there are people who can rightfully state that theirs lives would have been worse if they could not have left their bad marriages. I’m not disagreeing with this in principle, just stating that the inverse problem exists as well.

[dragonwriter]

> Indeed, and we’re seeing the downsides of easily-dissolved marriages

I disagree; easily dissolved marriages just changes the manifestation of the downsides of easily entered marriages from deep and serious problems within marriages to overt failure of marriages.

Both problems are significantly reduced by premarital compatibility counseling.

[mistrial9]

rather than pile on the individual traits in this -- I tend to agree this is happening in America -- perhaps the constructive analysis is to notice what is missing.. that is, social context, responsibilities over time outside of personal goals, lineage and continuity, tradition, even acknowledging greater forces in life than one's self at all..

economics is part of this, but we have plenty of economic activity and yet alot of dismal outcomes.. so economics does not explain all of it