Too Broke to Divorce?
— Thursday, December 4th, 2008 —
After yesterday’s discussion of divorce, moving, and vampire novels (yeah, I know…I guess you’d just have to read it below to see that tie-in), Robbie Sagers sent me an interesting article on divorce and economics.
The Associated Press reports a trend of divorcing couples staying in the same home because they can’t afford for either to move out (cue George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s version of “Two Story House” here).
The article seems to present this as a depressing development since the couples can’t achieve “closure” and move on. I wonder though if there’s not something providential at work here as well. After all, the divorce culture and the consumption culture tend to spur one another along (as I’ve argued here).
Maybe some couples will choose to stay, stand by their words, and work things out because they don’t feel the economic autonomy to do otherwise.
Maybe not.
Still, this is an interesting trend to watch. “Love, love will keep us together,” Captain and Tenille once told us. Sometimes Mammon does too.
While all sin is attributed first and foremost to our fallen nature, it is interesting to see the correlation between prosperity and depravity. What happens when someone is too broke to pay for internet pornography, or spend money on their sinful desires? When they can no longer access credit to support their gambling addiction?
We do not sin because we have economic resources, but our resources do allow us to feed our depraved hearts and minds in many ways. Perhaps a economic downturn will help us to take a look in the mirror that has been long overdue.