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Divorce does funny things

theparisreview.org

371–380 of 386 posts

Re: Divorce does funny things

#371
post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was exactly the feeling I had. I actually thought it was a very interesting article about the life of an oil rig worker. Suddenly, and in a throwaway fashion, we get a rumor about some unfortunate man and that's all. If this was meant to be an article about divorce, why wasn't there more divorce-related material? If this was supposed to be about oil rigs, why not focus on that and change the title? Very jarring…

You can see a note under the text noting that it's a book excerpt: https://bookshop.org/books/sea-state-a-memoir/9780063030831

Ah, thanks, I missed that

Re: Divorce does funny things

#372
post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm so sorry that that happened to you. I hope you've got a solid support system of friends and family around you.

Hey, thanks, I appreciate that! Unfortunately we had moved to a brand new city last year during COVID and I'm pretty much alone here so it's definitely harder. I'm doing my best to break into social groups and clubs but it's not easy, especially during a pandemic.

Well if you happen to be in Toronto or San Fransisco let me know via email. I'm happy to go for a coffee or beer with someone knew to a city. I'm usually in TO, but I'm in SF once every month and a half for work.

Best of luck.

Re: Divorce does funny things

#373

I can say with great confidence - do not get married. Do not live in a common law state. You will very likely regret it immensely. If I had been legally married to my ex - I would’ve been raked over the coals. I could see myself being the man on that rig. She contributed nothing to our relationship (financially or emotionally) and I put her through college while she didn’t work or pay for anything. Yet, even if I sho…

You literally just described my first marriage. Put wife through school, bought her a car while we were engaged (hers blew up). She didn't work for our entire marriage save but for the last year. She had this weird plan to "take all the money and leave me with all the debt" which she proudly told my brother. Her plan was to run up our credit cards with daily expenses then take off with all the money in the bank accou…

> She had this weird plan to "take all the money and leave me with all the debt" which she proudly told my brother.

This sounds like a nightmare.

Re: Divorce does funny things

#374
post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, thanks, I appreciate that! Unfortunately we had moved to a brand new city last year during COVID and I'm pretty much alone here so it's definitely harder. I'm doing my best to break into social groups and clubs but it's not easy, especially during a pandemic.

Well if you happen to be in Toronto or San Fransisco let me know via email. I'm happy to go for a coffee or beer with someone knew to a city. I'm usually in TO, but I'm in SF once every month and a half for work. Best of luck.

Hey, small world, I'm from YYZ and spent quite some time in SFO and it looks like we even have a common friend :)

I'll drop you an e-mail, I'm planning to be in SF next month. Thanks!

Re: Divorce does funny things

#375
post #299

My advice for anyone going through a difficult time with a partner or anyone really would be to talk to a therapist. That is what they are there for. You can only influence and change one person and that person is you. Focus on yourself. You are not responsible for anyone else's happiness. There are some practical skills to learn too like the five secrets of communication. But you don't have to suffer and take the st…

Would I be correct in guessing that you have not faced such a situation yourself? My motivation for asking -- What you wrote is advice inexperienced people commonly give. It's nothing that those facing the challenge would not already know. Having faced the challenge, I see several flaws / loose ends in your advice, and would recommend you or anyone reading the same to be watch out, and do your best to learn from the…

This idea of a challenge is all in your mind. You can choose suffering or choose to be present.

Re: Divorce does funny things

#376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You literally just described my first marriage. Put wife through school, bought her a car while we were engaged (hers blew up). She didn't work for our entire marriage save but for the last year. She had this weird plan to "take all the money and leave me with all the debt" which she proudly told my brother. Her plan was to run up our credit cards with daily expenses then take off with all the money in the bank accou…

> She had this weird plan to "take all the money and leave me with all the debt" which she proudly told my brother. This sounds like a nightmare.

It was/is. Picking the wrong partner can ruin your life.

Re: Divorce does funny things

#377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To start with, I'll reiterate that I am not qualified enough here, and you seem to know more than me. :) Since you asked still, below is my current understanding: 1. Biological evolution itself depends on spreading of genes. So the big picture cannot be an evolutionary path where having more than one partner is less optimal, whether for reasons of STD or otherwise*. Unless it is so bad that had we not picked up on mo…

I do agree with 1 and I believe the influence was subtle. I also believe it might have depended on a lot of factors. Maybe some tribes were not near any animal reservoir. Maybe some diseases were transmitted due to injuries while hunting or while butchering meat. And maybe in some cases, this lead to disadvantages during inter-tribe wars. Maybe a infected tribe lost a war, their men killed and the women raped, result…

> I am not sure I agree with 3. Overall medicine is a very recent development. I am not sure what are the circumstances that would have enabled us to develop science and medicine significantly earlier.

I'm not suggesting that had monogamy not been there, science and medicine (for STD et al) would have developed earlier. What I am saying is that now that the means are there, monogamy and marriage have a 'legacy' element to it. That legacy is currently too deep into people's minds, culture and the law.

> Also, not sure if lack of monogamy would motivate research today but probably would to a statistically relevant degree.

Consider for minute that non-monogamy were to come to the world today suddenly like COVID did, leading to severe spread of STDs. (Note that this is not putting COVID and non-monogany on an equal front, it is putting the situation around them as equal.) My expectations would be that the needed medical developments for STD would also come by soon like the developments against COVID, though with the unwarranted transitory losses. If we are in agreement on that, we can consider a slower version where non-monogamy gains grounds over the next few decades. I think that will happen.

Re: Divorce does funny things

#378
post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would I be correct in guessing that you have not faced such a situation yourself? My motivation for asking -- What you wrote is advice inexperienced people commonly give. It's nothing that those facing the challenge would not already know. Having faced the challenge, I see several flaws / loose ends in your advice, and would recommend you or anyone reading the same to be watch out, and do your best to learn from the…

This idea of a challenge is all in your mind. You can choose suffering or choose to be present.

I do not think that's so trivial or 'binary' like it is often stated.

Someone had asked a related question on the same OP thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29240007

My response is here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29240601

Re: Divorce does funny things

#379
post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well if you happen to be in Toronto or San Fransisco let me know via email. I'm happy to go for a coffee or beer with someone knew to a city. I'm usually in TO, but I'm in SF once every month and a half for work. Best of luck.

Hey, small world, I'm from YYZ and spent quite some time in SFO and it looks like we even have a common friend :) I'll drop you an e-mail, I'm planning to be in SF next month. Thanks!

Amazing! I can't wait :)

If for some reason I don't respond please reach out on Twitter. My personal email gets a lot of spam and Google is great, but occasionally real stuff slips by.

Re: Divorce does funny things

#380

I can say with great confidence - do not get married. Do not live in a common law state. You will very likely regret it immensely. If I had been legally married to my ex - I would’ve been raked over the coals. I could see myself being the man on that rig. She contributed nothing to our relationship (financially or emotionally) and I put her through college while she didn’t work or pay for anything. Yet, even if I sho…

Hey, I'm a project. That hurts. My wife makes a lot of money, a lot more than I do. Guess I have the upper hand, then? :/
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