There comes a time for all of us, when we will lose someone very dear to us, either through death or separation. It is this condition, which prompts me to mull over the problems that the young people of today are going to be faced with, as a result the current financial problems, and the incredible changes that have been made in society over the recent decade. These young people are having exactly the same problems that we had during WW 2, a lack of finance, a society under serious pressure, and a problematical future.I first met Sophie, my wife, on my 21nd birthday. We would probably not have married as soon as we did, if there had not been the possibility that I would be sent abroad for at least two years, and now, about 68 years later we are separated, because through illness, she is in a care home and I live alone. I’m not complaining, I merely applying my condition to those of the young people who are either married or living together at this time. With separation, one loses friendship, social, tactile, sensory, intellectual relationships, and companionship, which leaves you alone for much of the day and indeed much of the week, and having to rely on your own resources. Living together either married or otherwise, is a condition that requires work from time to time, understanding, and what is more the ability to admit when you’re wrong. The pressures of living, especially in the environment that we have today can produce a situation that can seriously undermine a relationship, if those involved are not prepared to stand back, think carefully, and then come to a fair conclusion.
The period prior to marriage, is a time of pleasure, mutual outings, and a certain amount of euphoria In effect, marriage, to some extent,is a leap in the dark, which time and mutual understanding will help to iron out the bumps. Family and financial problems are often the cause of misunderstandings that can magnify with time, and disrupt a relationship. The fact of being married presents an obstacle to separation, which allows time and probably advice, to bring a more stable viewpoint on the problems. Living together, has not the same beginning, with the wedding, the honeymoon and the fact that there is a legal tie as well, but this fact may not be sufficient to make any difference.With my outlook and history, I appreciate that the younger people have not the same viewpoints as I have, which could well be slightly Victorian, and therefore make what I say redundant.