Ah, Valentine’s Day!

The rush is on for grabbing a card on the way home or even finding a dozen red roses! Hallmark Windfall Day!

But it is also a day to think about marriage, relationships, divorce, staying together, making it legal — that sort of thing. So —

Why get married?

Torure, hurting, others, is a subject most of us would like to turn away from. Nevertheless, some of us (we ourselves?) find descriptions and discussions of inflicting pain interesting or even exciting.

We see it in our kids — early on. Kinds are cruel. They will hurt their siblings, playmates, pets, even their parents.

Many families have rich and poor members, meaning that many parents have kids who are struggling, and kids who are doing well.

So, when Ma and Pa make their will, it would make sense to leave a bigger slice of what’s left to the poor one. But that’s not how we do things.

We’ve all seen them, two elderly people sitting silently across each other in the restaurant or diner, staring past each other in a dull deadening silence.

How long have they been married? A long time.

Was it always like this? No.