A new book called SHORT HISTORY OF WOMEN by Kate Walbert introduces a 70 year old female protagonist named Dorothy who suddenly leaves her husband. Abandons him. No apparent reason, but she needs to be free. “I’m not cruel, just unhappy.â€
No, we don’t want Dorothy to be unhappy do we? I mean what does it mean for a woman and a man to be married for 50 years and one suddenly decides he/she doesn’t want to be married? Walbert would have us think that Dorothy’s self-indulgent abuse of her poor husband as “cruel but necessary.†I call it vain, stupid, and just plain evil.
Now I understand why my Aunt Edith Fay left my Uncle John at their 50th anniversary party. He was a tough old goat and probably deserved having his marriage abrogated long ago. One would like better timing, “Happy anniversary dear… and by the way—I am finished with you!â€
I wasn’t there but I heard Aunt Edith Fay and Uncle John had a typical robust fight, surprising no one. But this time Aunt Edith Fay had had enough.
But Aunt Edith Fay did not leave Uncle John because her rights were violated. Nor was she seeing anyone else (!) and she certainly does not believe in women’s rights (I don’t think she has voted Democrat in her life).
And I am not justifying Aunt Edith Fay’s actions. But separating from Uncle John is not the same as what Dorothy did. And, to her credit, Aunt Edit Fay called it what it is and stayed married to Uncle John.
We should be much gentler with one another, don’t you think? And we should work harder to preserve the sacred relationships that God has entrusted with us. We should be less concerned about our own rights and more about what God wants us to do.