Half of marriages end with divorce. You can either refuse to get married to anyone you can't predict perfectly for, say, sixty years, or plan sensibly while you

Half of marriages end with divorce. You can either refuse to get married to anyone you can't predict perfectly for, say, sixty years, or plan sensibly while you're on amicable terms. If you can't plan a divorce when the two of you like each other, it'll be an absolute nightmare to do it when you're separating. There's an idea in Aikido I like, which is that one should always consider the end of the relationship just as much as the beginning. The example I learned is rather bloody [1], but it also applies to telephone conversations, outings with friends, starting a company, and I imagine, a marriage. Given that all things in life are transient, you should think of their path over time instead of as static elements. A marriage may only be a good experience for 40 years; it may be a good fit to end it after that time. [1] When making a knife thrust to the chest, one arcs the blade inside the body. This prevents suction from trapping the knife.