In Las Vegas, a bride and groom have the option of being legally married in a themed wedding. Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, King Tutankhamen and Merlin the Magician are among a few characters that couples can add to their guest lists.
There’s no doubt that Las Vegas is known for its unique marriage laws, but German politician Gabriele Pauli’s proposal might make Germany’s marriage laws just as off the wall as Sin City’s.
If the proposal passed, the law would require all married couples in Germany to renew their marriage licenses after seven years. For married couples that fail to have their marriage contracts legally renewed, their marriages would be automatically annulled.
Somewhere in Germany, there has to be a cute little kid who’s worried about the possibility that his next birthday might not include both mommy and daddy. That image alone has to be too heartbreaking to bear for anyone, except for Pauli, of course. ?
To make sense of this nonsensical proposal, it might be a good idea to find out about the woman behind it. There has to be a convincing reason for Pauli to bring up a proposal that could shake traditional values on a national scale.
Pauli, who is 50 years old and twice divorced, is convinced that married couples only remain married because of emotional or financial security. Even if her theory is correct, most married couples would agree that emotional and financial security are considered good qualities in any marriage.
In her “genius” plan, Pauli is introducing and backing a law that would force married couples to renew their licenses in order to keep their marriages intact. But there are only so many ways this can be done.
Maybe a government-administered test could accurately assess if married couples are satisfied in their marriages. But constructing a valid test would be impossible to create. Besides, most married people stay away from quizzing their significant others because these kinds of exercises cause arguments. Contrary to popular belief, remembering every detail about a marriage doesn’t guarantee marital bliss.
Or maybe the government could mail out paperwork. But filling out paperwork is nothing but bad news. Even if a couple was happily married before the time of their renewal, a paperwork process could really challenge their patience and sanity. Then, add a couple of children running around during the entire ordeal. That could definitely cause a divorce. Maybe that’s the plan Pauli is going for.
Even if Pauli is speaking through experience, which she clearly believes she is, she can’t speak for an entire nation. If the people of Germany buy into this proposal, Valentine’s Day might be the next target. Before long, wedding anniversary celebrations will be entirely outlawed in Germany.
Pauli’s theory doesn’t address a lot of issues. It simply offers married couples, which may or may not be experiencing marital problems, a decision to make, to either stay together or divorce. Pauli’s plan could make marriage counseling a thing of the past. Goodbye, Dr. Phil.
Then there’s the religious viewpoint. The Catholic state in Germany has already voiced its disproval with Pauli’s proposal. Although marital vows spiritually bind husband and wife to spend eternity together, most married couples don’t take “till death do us part” literally. However, to create a law that would require couples to second-guess their marital vows is obviously something most religions are against.
It’s safe to say that this far-fetched proposal isn’t likely to pass and Pauli is definitely wasting her time. The politician-turned-relationship guru needs to realize her proposal is ridiculous, even more ridiculous than Las Vegas’ themed chapels.
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