(Educational Institution)
David W. Response:
I do believe that marriage should always involve love. It makes sense that the people getting married wanted to choose their own partners. Though families wanted to preserve their bloodlines, I don’t think it should have been at the expense of their loved ones. I can understand why the people were miserable in arranged marriages, because they were with someone that they did not love. Marriage should not be a matter of convenience. However, I do understand that culture is culture, and that’s just the way things are traditionally. It would make me question the level of quality in the marriages. A marriage isn’t going to be a happy one and last if the people have no true connection with one another.
Joseph S. Response:
I do understand that culture is important. The older generations are not trained to see it any other way. The norms that they were raised with are concrete to them. So it seems natural for them to be upset by the lack of traditional adherence in the younger generations. It is a bit sad that other nations influenced change to occur in their culture. I do feel like nations should be able to uphold the traditions that are dear to them. But on the other hand, younger generations just believe in more freedom. They want to be able to choose their life partner, and not have that choice made for them. Survival is always the motivation in any society, but it is unfortunate that arranged marriage has to be considered a means to an end in that situation. In the end of the day, traditions sadly do not persevere the way they once did. And now marriage is made synonymous with love.
