Marriage Vows with an Expiration Date?

photo courtesy of StockExpert

In one way, it's nice to know that the U.S. of A. has not monopolized the "brainless politican" pool. Apparently, Germany has its own "creatively thinking" politician, Gabriele Pauli, with whom to deal.

According to a recent article in Britain's Telegraph, the attractive, twice divorced Pauli is now considered a serious contender for the position of "the country's most powerful female conservative." That doesn't sound so bad, does it?

There's more to the story - of course, or I wouldn't be posting about it. As ABC News reports, Pauli is seeking to revolutionize the whole marriage tradition. Her proposal? She wants marriages to expire after seven years. If the couple chooses to renew their marriage contract, that's fine. If not, they simply go their separate ways.

"This would mean that one will only commit for a fixed period and will actively have to renew your vows if you still want to continue."

Wow! I can see where Ms. Pauli, a two time divorcee, is coming from, but I could not agree any less. Her proposal negates the basic principle behind marriage: a lifetime commitment between a man and a woman. Ms. Pauli's idea of marriage appears more similar to officially-sanctioned shacking up.

I know that more than half of all marriages end in divorce. However, I don't know of one that started out with plans for less than a lifetime of commitment, and I must say that I would not enter marriage with the knowledge that I am only committing to seven years of marriage. A marriage with an expiration date attached would not give me any security or any reason to learn to expose my true self to my husband. Marriage takes a lot of investment by both spouses, and there is no way I would knowingly chance investing that much time and energy and making myself that vulnerable to my husband only to have him casually reject me in seven years.

Ms. Pauli, I'm sorry you have been through two divorces, but your experiences do not mean that marriage should be restructured. Your proposal undermines the symbolism of the wedding ring: a never-ending circle representing the couple's love.