Dating

And so, dear readers, here we are again, with an entire post ahead of us. I actually have a topic I would like to discuss, simply because it is not discussed very often. I shall open with some literature by one of my favorite authors, Edith Wharton. The excerpt itself is from one of her short stories, The Valley of Childish Things:

A man once married a charming young person who agreed with him on every question. At first they were very happy, for the man thought his wife the most interesting companion he had ever met, and they spent their days telling each other what wonderful people they were. But by and by the man began to find his wife rather tiresome. Wherever he went she insisted upon going; whatever he did, she was sure to tell him that it would have been better to do the opposite; and moreover, it gradually dawned upon him that his friends had never thought so highly of her as he did. Having made this discovery, he naturally felt justified in regarding himself as the aggrieved party; she took the same view of her situation, and their life was one of incessant recrimination.
Finally, after years spent in violent quarrels and short-lived reconciliations, the man grew weary, and decided to divorce his wife.
He engaged an able lawyer, who assured him that he would have no difficulty in obtaining a divorce; but to his surprise, the judge refused to grant it.
"But -- " said the man, and he began to recapitulate his injuries.
"That's all very true," said the judge, "and nothing would be easier than for you to obtain a divorce if you had only married another person."
"What do you mean by another person?" asked the man in astonishment.
"Well," replied the judge, "it appears that you inadvertently married yourself; that is a union no court has the power to dissolve."
"Oh, said the man; and he was secretly glad, for in his heart he was already longing to make it up again with his wife.

Now, I firmly believe Edith Wharton just discovered the secret to many of America's failed marriages. Let us examine the main points of the story.

1. The man in the story married his wife because he thought she was an "interesting companion."
2. The man tired of his wife once the thrill of marrying her was gone.
3. He then tried to rid himself of his wife.
4. The man in question actually married himself, according to the wise judge.

The major problem of the man was that he entered into a self-centered relationship. By marrying someone who made him feel good about himself ("they spent their days telling each other what wonderful people they were"), he married out of pure self-centeredness.

This is the major problem of today's relationships. Guy/girl "dating" relationships nowadays tend to be wholly self-centered; they make both the parties involved feel good about themselves. I'll even admit myself that being in a relationship is exciting. In a relationship, one tends to spend time wrapped up in a cozy, sharp blanket of emotional belonging, giggling with friends (well, if you're on the female side, lol), and thinking of the thrill of being with the other person.

When that thrill is gone, what is that relationship built upon? Nothing. That is why it fails; it has no foundation.

And, thus, what is that foundation? God (I'll wager you didn't see that coming, lol). So many people in relationships rely on the other person to make them feel happy, to make them feel loved, to make them feel wanted. But God can supply all that. If one does not first rely upon and trust God, one can never love properly. I am firm in my conviction of this.

That is one reason why I strive to build my relationship with God. We must know His perfect, selfless love before we can ever love others. When people ask why I currently don't date, that is what I tell them. I am growing in my relationship with God. I think dating would disract me from that, but that is another story altogether. At any rate, too many of today's dating relationships are based on self, and not God.

That thought concludes this post. I want to devote some posts to dating and the like, simply because it is rarely discussed (especially in homeschool circles). :-) And so, until we meet again, dear reader, goodbye.

(hehe. Being dramatic is fun. Oh, and please post comments. What do you think about dating?)