In Defense of Marriage
It’s more than statistics. For marriage to work, we must understand the history and how we’ve been driven toward consumer based relationships.
*This article is one half of a friendly debate between our founders—The Argumentative Penguin and Benjamin Sledge—with opposing viewpoints. I highly suggest reading both sides of the debate. You can read The Penguin’s argument here.
My first marriage failed as spectacularly as it began. A month and a half before I deployed to Afghanistan, I met my ex-wife, and we began dating. We stayed together throughout my year-long deployment, but the man she’d known before my departure was remarkably different. Despite wrestling with my demons from my time overseas, we weathered the storm, got engaged, and married in 2005. By 2006, however, I was back overseas, this time in Iraq. A year into my 15 month tour of duty, I called home only to have her inform me she’d filed for divorce. I found myself a divorced combat veteran at the supple young age of 27, practically hitting every troubled veteran stereotype. Disillusioned by the concept of marriage and monogamy, I wondered if I’d ever settle down again, let alone get married.
During my divorce, I lived on my best friend’s couch in Austin, Texas, after I returned home and we’d often…
