Speaking Engagement
Jan. 9th, 2008 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penfield"Marriage: that I call the will of two to create the one who is more than those who created it."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage."
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
"Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys, and quadruples our expenses."
- English Proverb
Today's quotations are meant to honor my brother, who became engaged to his girlfriend of five-plus years on New Year's Eve. But when people start talking about marriage, they tend to be either insufferably sappy or mercilessly snarky.
Why are these opinions so acutely ambivalent? It is as if the authors are afflicted with marriage-related bipolar disorder. If I were to be cynical, I would accuse these individuals of protesting too much and exploiting their cognitive dissonance in the name of good humor. But I think the more likely explanation is that even a happy marriage is a tough gig, and they want some credit for making it work.
I'm not sure what I think about marriage, personally. I've witnessed, up close, both good marriages and bad marriages, old and new ones, rich and poor ones, explosive and pacific ones. And I think it's one of those things where you can't really talk about it until you've tried it. But I have a feeling my brother is going to be pretty good at it.
So I congratulate my brother on his engagement. I'm proud and happy for him that he's finally going the distance, not to mention the fact that he's taking a lot of pressure off of his older brother.
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage."
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
"Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys, and quadruples our expenses."
- English Proverb
Today's quotations are meant to honor my brother, who became engaged to his girlfriend of five-plus years on New Year's Eve. But when people start talking about marriage, they tend to be either insufferably sappy or mercilessly snarky.
Why are these opinions so acutely ambivalent? It is as if the authors are afflicted with marriage-related bipolar disorder. If I were to be cynical, I would accuse these individuals of protesting too much and exploiting their cognitive dissonance in the name of good humor. But I think the more likely explanation is that even a happy marriage is a tough gig, and they want some credit for making it work.
I'm not sure what I think about marriage, personally. I've witnessed, up close, both good marriages and bad marriages, old and new ones, rich and poor ones, explosive and pacific ones. And I think it's one of those things where you can't really talk about it until you've tried it. But I have a feeling my brother is going to be pretty good at it.
So I congratulate my brother on his engagement. I'm proud and happy for him that he's finally going the distance, not to mention the fact that he's taking a lot of pressure off of his older brother.
