“Till death do us part” has taken on a new meaning in America as this promise of eternal unity has lost its external significance in our society.
Today I ask, “Who is dying?” The person who ravaged the faith and reliance of his family toward himself, and lost the trust of a nation by conducting a punishable act of disloyalty, or is it the one whose heart, dignity, and pride got taken away? Either way, the pain is great and there is no happy ending to this great tragedy of death.
The nation is witnessing yet another public official entangled in a sex scandal. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford held a news conference to announce his extramarital affair and apologize to everyone he hurt, including the other woman on Wednesday, June 24.
“I’ve been unfaithful to my wife, and I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina,” Sanford told reporters at a press conference.
The 49-year-old governor, who was once a congressman voting for Bill Clinton’s impeachment, has fallen off his high morality wagon.
Sanford has resigned as chair of the Republican Governors Association and his plan to run for president in 2012 looks dim. Despite certain legislators’ preference, Sanford plans to serve the remaining 18 months of his term, reported the Associated Press.
Jenny Sanford has told CBS News that her husband “has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.”
How degraded and empty she must feel, I thought listening to Sanford’s speech that rattled every sense of disgust within my soul as he explained he had spent the last five days “crying in Argentina.” I wonder if Jenny Sanford had ever interpreted “Till death do us part,” as her heart dying in front of a nation.
We observe the leaders of our nation repeatedly abuse the statement, “Till death do us part,” and bring shame to their families and loved ones. Men, who we depend on to keep their words and promises to a nation, cannot keep their loyalty to even one individual.
Jenny Sanford, Silda Spitzer, Hillary Clinton, and our beloved Jacqueline Kennedy are amongst millions of women who stood mutely by their husbands during their times of disgrace. Aware that their relationship will never be the same after such betrayal and the trust will never become solid between the two partners.
Nonetheless, some women choose to seize their marriages rather than to discard a lifetime of continuous compromise and struggle which has become the solid foundation of their families. It is simply the grace and poise such women possess that enables them to accomplish such a task.
During this time, many blame the moral values and beliefs of different political parties and organizations for the lies and discriminations they face. However, today in our society, the concept of a long-term successful marriage has become more unusual than the promise of “Till death do us part” to more than one individual. It has become a norm for American children to have two separate homes and additional parents to their biological ones.
“Till death do us part” has turned into a fantasy rather than reality. Our only hope is for the new generation to bring back the high morals and values pertaining to marriage to their future families. Until then, “Till death do us part” will remain a comforting cliché that keeps the promise of true love blooming in all our hearts.
