Marriage Views? It’s Your Turn Now

Published October 18, 1979. A few weeks ago in this column, I invited you to write, and I heard from readers as far away as California, Colorado, and Washington. Several of you who wrote included a line or two in your letters indicating that you, too, share the conviction that marriage can be and usually is a meaningful relationship.

While I have been doing all the writing the past few months, it occurred to me that some of you have insights or have had experiences in your marriages that you may want to share with others. I am, therefore, extending to you, the readers, a formal invitation to write a few lines on “What Makes Marriage Meaningful?” In essence, it’s now your turn.

The idea about a column on marriage came a year or so ago when I became increasingly aware of the numerous gloomy reports and statistics reported about marriage in the various media. While marriages are undergoing change, and there are disruptive elements present, it is still obvious to me from my own experience and observations that many, in fact the majority of married couples, find marriage to be worthwhile. If behavior is indicative of values, marriage is, as we have repeatedly quoted in this column, one of the most popular voluntary institutions in America (i.e. one that we either enter or re-enter by choice).

If you have some observations, insights, or experiences you would like to share, write them down in a few paragraphs (750 words maximum). Title it “What Makes Marriage Meaningful?” and send it within the next two weeks. If time and space permit, I would like to include some of them in this column and will assume I have your permission if yours is selected.