Love marriages are preferable to arranged marriages

English 18 June Love Marriages are preferable to Arranged Marriages People view marriage as an individual prerogative rather than a family decision. Many people believe in the myth that love marriages are better than arranged marriages; this is because you know your partner well even before getting married. The main difference between the love marriage and the arranged marriage is that when two people are in love and make the decision to get married, there is a sense of ownership, but in an arranged marriage, a sense of ownership is felt much later (Nagaswami, n. p.). Ownership is the single-most important factor in the success of a marriage. Love marriages do have a head start in relationship building, since the foundations have already been laid before the wedding. This ensures that there no surprises during marriage.
Many couples believe that love marriages are more enduring and long lasting because they are based on love and compatibility. Many people shouldn’t opt for arranged marriages, because a bad arranged marriage can lead to a death trap, especially given that the divorce rate in arranged marriages is very lows. This is because traditions often never permit the couples to divorce, and the unhappy couple is forced to stay united and live through the suffering and hatred between them. There are many women who have been married off to rich men whom they never loved and ended up being unhappy for the rest of their lives, such as my aunt. When she got married, she tried to love the man chosen for her, but she couldn’t. It’s probable that he was also not happy since he was always drunk and used to yell at her and regularly beat her. At one time, my aunt felt too depressed and unhappy and informed the elders that she wanted a divorce, but they couldn’t permit her.
Couples in arranged marriages are involved in extra-marital relationships, but couples who are in love hardly have the extra-marital affairs When it comes to fights in couples, people bound by love and those in arranged marriages fight, but the difference is that the couple bound by love does not end up in divorce, while for those in arranged marriages, the divorces are many. In love marriages, people expect more from their partner; this is because they have fallen in love and they know each other before marriage. In arranged marriages on the other hand, couples don’t have much expectations from each other. In love marriages, before tying the knot, the two people fall in love with each other and get to know each other well (Nagaswami, n. p.). This makes the marriage more comfortable, restful and peaceful. For couples in arranged marriages, none knows the other, and if they do they only know very little. For this reason, most of them are usually not comfortable with each other. In times of crisis, couples in love marriages learn how to solve their problems, but when it comes to arranged marriages, the couple has to rely on parents or elders to help them solve their problems.
In every person’s life, happiness is important and getting married to someone one loves leads to the attainment of happiness, peace and content. All these make love marriages preferable to arranged marriages. After all, what is life all about if one can’t be happy and free to the path that pleases him or her?
Work Cited
Nagaswami, Vijay. The 24 X 7 Marriage: Small Strategies for Good Beginnings. New Delhi: Westland Ltd, 2008. Print.