An interesting way to tackle divorce


In China divorce is a growing problem.  Whilst divorce rates in the west have generally stabilized, in China it has been growing rapidly in recent years.  This is partly due to changes in divorce law, but also rapid economic change and all those typical problems affecting western couples . . . the stresses of buying a house, finding a job etc.  Once rare, divorce is now common, with the number of failed marriages doubling in the last decade. Last year, a total of 1.96 million couples applied for divorce, a 14.5% increase on 2009.  In an attempt to slow the number of divorces in China, the Chinese state postal service has come up with a novel idea which I think is really quite good . . . but will it reduce divorce numbers?

Newly wed couples will be offered the chance to send sealed love letters to their spouses which will be delivered seven years after their wedding day (seven year itch).  The  purpose of the letters is to remind the couple why they got married in the first place.  I think it is a lovely idea, however I would suggest that at each anniversary couples writes a love letter to each other and these are then opened at the next anniversary, 12-months later  . . .  a yearly reminder.  So often we get caught up in "life" that the reasons why we fell in love are lost to all the stresses of daily living.  These little things do make a differences.

The Chinese Post Office is also producing special stamps, postcards and even a Love Passport which can be stamped on every anniversary.  Unfortunately the success of the scheme will not be known for another seven years.

These may not be big initiatives and they may not reverse the Chinese divorce rates, but it might make a small differences to a few couples. Our wedding anniversary is on the 27th of December and I think it would be a lovely idea to create a marriage passport or something similar . . . even after 21 years, remembering those first moments of love are important.  And my DH loved the idea of the sealed love letter . . . he found the idea very romantic.



Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)



Comments

  1. That's an interesting idea they have going on there in China. How sad that divorce is such a big thing.
    The love letter thing is quite a good idea! Another good idea is to go back to the love letters written in courtship or notes written in early marriage, and re-read them (if they were saved and not discarded!). Dan and I do that occasionally. It's good to remember.

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  2. I have a few special letters as keep sakes and I do think they help to remind us of the way we felt years ago. A lot can happen in seven years! You yearly idea is a good one. Sad isn't it that China has a climbing divorce rate, a very rapidly declining rate of population growth (one child policy). The fabric of their once very family oriented society is shredded :-(

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  3. Interesting idea. I wrote Bow Tie Man letters in a book for the three letters we, dated, and then gave them to him as a wedding present.

    By the way, I had to smile at the date of your anniversary. My parents were married the same day, 31 years ago, this year.

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  4. Val - thats beautiful. I don't have any love letters as my husband and I didn't write any :( So perhaps i do need to write one !!

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