[Opinion] Husband and Wife Day

The prevailing state of society is to look for a perfect marriage partner, and there is no damage to marry a partner when they are married. In that sense, there is meaning in the greetings of a bride’s father, which was made on behalf of a family in a wedding march. “Marriage doesn’t exist to bring together a perfect man and a perfect woman, it exists to bring imperfect persons together and make their lives perfect. We have to throw away the thought that we can change partners as we do our tastes.”

▽A person who turns 70 years this year and was a high school teacher in his former occupation disheartened his wife because of his collection of classic books and his getting sick frequently. A letter he sent to his student included the contents of deep love for his wife. The gist of his letter reads like this: “Please live for a long time. I would like to close my eyes, laying my head on her lap.” It is the perfect happy story. It is enviable for an old couple to love each other. These teachers boasted of his married life to his student, saying, “There were happy times in the past, but now are better.”

▽A husband who is a “morning person” and professional businessman, and a housewife who is a “night person,” conflict with each other in everything. Sometimes they argue over the menu of dining out, and they eat out in different places. Also there was the occasion that they quarreled with each other and the husband lived the house of his wife’s parents for a month. After 10 years of their marriage, they realized that they were just different, not that one is right and the other is wrong. Now the husband realized with gratitude his wife was married to a man who was poor and waiting upon his mother after 20 years of marriage. Usually man becomes wise later in life.

▽It is said that husband and wife are one in body and spirit. However, they become unrelated persons or even mutual enemies when they divorce. The proverb says that mutual enemies in former lives meet as a husband and wife this world, and a pair of lovers meets as parents and their children. This year, the husband and wife’s day is established for the first time. It may be circumstantial evidence that the crises of married couples are increasing. May is the family month, and 21 can be interpreted as two (2) are united into one (1). So May 21 was established as husband and wife day. At first, a pair of lovers makes a family through their love, but as time passes, their relationship becomes estranged from each other. We hope that husband and wife day is a time when married couples realize the significance of their partners.

Editorial writer Oh Myung-chul, oscar@donga.com