Arranged Marriages

Arranged Marriages
Alonzo Wilson

There are many factors that play a major role in marriages and lust for one another is one of them. In the essay “Arranged Marriages Get a Little Reshuffling” by Lizette Alvarez a journalist for The New York Times, writes that “Lust does not a lasting marriage make”(156). The author is saying that lust does not last in a relationship, and it is one of the main reasons marriages does not last long either. I agree with this, but lust is one of many other factors that make relationships work One reason I agree is that the younger generation these days are changing how a traditional arranged marriage should be done, and are instead turning to the web for dating sites, and marriage web sites for a partner in a relationship. These web sites offer vary little information about the potential person and are not very accurate also. The author says “Now these young Indians and Pakistanis are pushing the cultural boundaries created by their parents and grandparents one step further: they are reshaping the tradition of arranged marriages” (155). People these days are not looking for the lust or love, but rather have someone that’s compatible with their lifestyle “It’s not based on love” (156). Second reason why lust don’t make a marriage last is body image; Looks plays a major part of lust because looking attractive makes you more lustful to your significant other, and if the looks go so does the lust. These days people go through these speed dating relationships which literally last minutes, as the author states in her essay “South Aisin speed dating is the latest phenomenon to hit London, white men and women meeting each other for just three minutes at restaurants and bars before moving on to the next potential mate”(155). I’m sure looks plays a big factor when going through speed dating. Because they are actually seeing the other person for the first time, and most times people will judge you for how the body image looks, and if looks are what a person is looking for in a relationship, then I’m sure it won’t last long, because as we age our looks change with time. Third reason lust will not last is because of the love of being financially stable , or as quoted in the bible in first timothy chapter six, verse ten, “Certainly the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”(N.I.V). Meaning that if you’re only in the marriage for the money, then your love is going to more focus on the money than the marriage. The author also says that “the urging of second-and third- generation children, the nature of the arrangement has evolved, mostly by necessity” (155). Here she means that now days most marriages are bases off of compatibility and financial stability. I believe if lust is what a person is looking in a marriage, and not love then of course the marriage will not last very long.