I find this conversation between Xenophhon & Socrates quite enlighten as to why the Roman girls/woman married so young. Not only for procreation and to combat the low birth rates that Rome experiencing at the time, but in order to train his new wife.
How gently he explains to his new bride just exactly what his expectation are of her, and why he believe that her role is important not only to him but to the gods as well.
He was a way of evoking his wife to respond in question so that she may not fear him, and yet rises to the occasion to want to please her husband.
This is an art that has long since disappeared in today’s society. He teaches her that one of the greatest gifts is in teaching those who do not know, and in teaching them you have created wealth for yourself.
In today's society we go into marriage full of expectation that are unsaid and expect our partners to be able to live up to those expectations. We are a society full of self and self gratification, we certainly are not about trying to help one another learn and to help each other prosper
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2 comments:
i think you are right on about many people nowadays going in with the expectation that their spouse will change to the standard we think they should be, yet at the same time not expect from ourselves the exact same kind of change. its as if both sides say, he/she fell in love with me as i am so i dont really need to be any better than i already am. people, including me, are just crazy =)
Cherri I found your comments to be extremely interesting on this topic. I loved your tie from the reading to the modern day problems with marriage. All too often it seems people are rushing into marriage with false expectations and hopes. I have watched many close friends and loved ones rush into marriages only to have them last a year or so. I have a good friend who is on his third marriage and he is only 26 years old. I just wish that we as a society would take a closer look at ourselves and see that preparation for marriage is more than making sure you love the person. It takes a lot more work than most these days are willing to put out the effort for. Thank you for the great post!
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