Romantic Love Key to Happy Marriage

I firmly believe that romantic love is necessary for a happy marriage.  Indeed the former is key to the latter.

In marriage, two persons decide to commit themselves to each other and live together through good and bad times.  The decision can hardly be taken lightly for its significant implications for not only the couple themselves, but also their family and friends.  A failed marriage invariably gives rise to disastrous consequences, ranging from the emotional stress and distress the couple have to go through and cope with, to the need to sort out the financial arrangements as part of the divorce process, which is made more complicated if kids are involved as the matter might be taken to court for a resolution as to the custody of and access rights to the kids.

Romantic love plays a key role from courtship to marriage.  Without romantic love, no two persons take the first step of dating.  Without romantic love, they will not decide to be joined through marriage.  The journey begins when they have some sense of liking towards each other.  Unsure if this sense of liking is mutual, they are eager to take advantage of all possible opportunities to be with each other, even in the company of friends.  This is then followed by dating in which one party decides to impress the other – celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and so on, sending chocolate and flowers at Valentine’s Days, going on trips – and see more of each other.  With the aid of romantic love, the couple decides to live their lives together in marriage, with shared rights and responsibilities as protected in law.

It follows that romantic love continues to play a key role throughout marriage, particularly when it comes to a happy one.  It does not make sense that once into marriage, the couple can dispense with romantic love which is what have brought them together.  It is true that romantic love might evolve into a less direct form.  More reliance is placed on affectionate facial expressions and the intimate care and thoughts shown, than on explicit terms of endearment, often used in the courtship stage.  The different form taken by romantic love does not downplay its importance in marriage; it just contributes to a happy marriage in a different way.

It is also true that romantic love might diminish in intensity, compared with that of romantic love that triggers the desire to see each other at the beginning.  This might be the result of a combination of factors, including the busy lifestyle, the daily chores of life, the pressures from pursuing career aspirations, and the need to take care of kids and their future.  This is why for a marriage to be a happy one, there must be romantic love and it takes time and effort to sustain romantic love, which in turn sustains a happy marriage.  Anecdotic evidence suggests that a marriage premised on fame and fortune only is not a happy one.  Such marriage stands a high risk of heading towards divorce.

To conclude, a happy marriage is always underpinned by romantic love, which plays a key role from courtship to marriage and then through marriage. Romantic love is an ingredient which not only holds the marriage together, but also contributes to happiness in marriage.