Viva Gabriele Pauli! She's running for leadership of the Catholic-tinged Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) in Deutschland (aka Germany), and on September 19, 2007, she proposed that marriages should automatically dissolve after seven years. Love it! That's chutzpah, certainly.
The crux is, couples could sign up for another seven years, or peacefully part ways without having to file for divorce.
I like the idea -- as a voluntary option. It's like a shorter mortgage arrangement, or a prenuptial agreement. Couples getting married (or forming a civil union) could choose option A) Presumed lifetime deal; or option B) Seven year version. Either contract would be voluntary, and both parties would have to agree on the same option.
Unsurprisingly, religious groups immediately get bent out of shape about the idea, but too bad. We're talking civil society, separation of church/synagogue/mosque and state.
Here's a link to Gabriel Paul's website: http://www.gabriele-pauli.de/
If nothing else, this would make an interesting framework for a story.
I'm comfortable with the idea, certainly. For the last ten years, I've been working under one year contracts. Tenure means nothing to me. Besides, as the taoists say, there is wisdom in insecurity. Real security is an illusion, so why not embrace insecurity? It sure spices things up.
The Vespa spices things up, too. As gas prices skyrocket, more and more of them are popping up on the back roads. Very stylish. As the seventh year approaches, you might want to get one for fast getaways.
And affordable. See http://www.detroiteurocycles.com/ for more information. The Vespa poster "girls" from the 1960s and 1970s often bear a striking resemblance to "Bond girls." In the world of 007, seven years is a long time for any relationship.
Ciao for now!
1 comment:
Hmmm, food for thought.
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