Quinn

November 24, 2009

LOVE OR MONEY?

The singer, Ricky Martin asks. “Are you in it for love? Are you in it for money?” Unlike a hundred years ago when the average life-span of a woman was 45 years, whether she was in a relationship for love or money, chances were that she was in it for maybe 15 to 25 years tops before being widowed or dying herself. Now that life expectancy is much, much longer, once married, you are in it for the long haul. So unless you plan to do serial marriages and endure the pain of separating and divorce, choose a partner that can go the distance.

Recently, Warren Buffet, the billionaire spoke to the student body at his alma mater, Columbia University. When asked the secrets to his phenomenal success, he said that marrying the right partner was key. Think about it – make a good match and your life is enriched. Make a bad match and your energy and joy is sucked out of you for years on end.

So which should you choose – love or money? Ricky Martin isn’t asking the right question. When marrying, choose a life partner, a person who can grow with you and meet the challenges that life will bring. As my son-in-law said in his marriage vows, “I am not naïve enough to think that life will always be easy for us just because we love each other, but I do know that there is no other person I want holding my hand for each of life’s new challenges.”

So sons and daughters everywhere, don’t rush into marriage at the first opportunity. Establish a mindset of marrying for life and choose accordingly. It is the most important commitment of your life.