Seeker of Truth
05-28-2003, 03:45 PM
Why is the USA the World’s Divorce Champion?
Imagine that you’ve decided to build a house in a particular area. You’re willing to invest the money, time and effort to make something that will last a lifetime. You want to move in and make it your own. But as you drive through the neighborhood, you notice something is desperately wrong. Some houses look sound, but many others are sagging—perhaps they are houses divided against themselves. But most disturbingly, over half of the houses in this vast subdivision have been completely destroyed. They are collapsed, burnt-out shells that leave the impression of a village in Kosovo after a bout of vicious ethnic cleansing. You imagine the suffering of those who once lived in those homes, and you wonder, do I really want to move here?
That’s the question faced by Americans when they consider moving to the USA’s 51st state—the state of matrimony. Do I really want to move here? It looks like a bad neighborhood.
The US leads G8 Nations in divorce, and is in statistical tie with Sweden for the world’s divorce title. The US rate is over 25% higher than the number-two contender, Russia. Strangely, it’s almost 50% higher than Canada, a country with a culture that many others in the world see as almost indistinguishable from that of the USA.
The economic costs are high. Statistically, women & children are hardest hit, and often end up struggling to get by. That’s not to say that divorced men don’t take an economic hit too. It’s a lose-lose proposition. Some argue that divorce is a major cause of poverty in America. That doesn’t count the emotional costs, such as the fact that millions of children grow up without their fathers as a significant presence in their lives.
On the flip side, married men and women are statistically more likely to live longer, happier, healthier and wealthier lives.
Given all this, you have to wonder about America’s future as the impact of a divorce culture generates a cumulative effect on future generations.
More @ stethour.com (http://www.stethour.com/knowingme-knowingyou/editorial_poll.htm)
Imagine that you’ve decided to build a house in a particular area. You’re willing to invest the money, time and effort to make something that will last a lifetime. You want to move in and make it your own. But as you drive through the neighborhood, you notice something is desperately wrong. Some houses look sound, but many others are sagging—perhaps they are houses divided against themselves. But most disturbingly, over half of the houses in this vast subdivision have been completely destroyed. They are collapsed, burnt-out shells that leave the impression of a village in Kosovo after a bout of vicious ethnic cleansing. You imagine the suffering of those who once lived in those homes, and you wonder, do I really want to move here?
That’s the question faced by Americans when they consider moving to the USA’s 51st state—the state of matrimony. Do I really want to move here? It looks like a bad neighborhood.
The US leads G8 Nations in divorce, and is in statistical tie with Sweden for the world’s divorce title. The US rate is over 25% higher than the number-two contender, Russia. Strangely, it’s almost 50% higher than Canada, a country with a culture that many others in the world see as almost indistinguishable from that of the USA.
The economic costs are high. Statistically, women & children are hardest hit, and often end up struggling to get by. That’s not to say that divorced men don’t take an economic hit too. It’s a lose-lose proposition. Some argue that divorce is a major cause of poverty in America. That doesn’t count the emotional costs, such as the fact that millions of children grow up without their fathers as a significant presence in their lives.
On the flip side, married men and women are statistically more likely to live longer, happier, healthier and wealthier lives.
Given all this, you have to wonder about America’s future as the impact of a divorce culture generates a cumulative effect on future generations.
More @ stethour.com (http://www.stethour.com/knowingme-knowingyou/editorial_poll.htm)