When Wedding Vows Become Chains: Rethinking “For Better or for Worse"

Marriage is a beautiful thing, and as it's commonly said, he who finds a wife finds a good thing; the same can be said vice versa, showing how exciting marriage can be. However, during the wedding ceremony we often hear the priest or anchor of such events utter statements encouraging couples to stick by each other through thick and thin, for better and for worse, and while it might sound lovely to the ear and more or less like a word of commitment, we can't help but recognize the fact that there are some unexpected events that play out in marriage, and some people find it difficult to leave because of that word or because of what their religion says about divorce. But then is there a level of worst that can warrant one to ditch their marriage?

To be fair, it's always a good thing when you have someone who stands by you during your most vulnerable moments, and the few people who often do this for an individual are either their parents, siblings, or spouse. But then we've come to recognize that not all words are worth sticking with during marriage, and I'll explain why. In the case that you get married and your spouse falls into a coma or gets involved in an accident that gets them crippled, we all know such a partner will have a lot on their plate to do just to help their partner out, and many spouses do stay behind during this phase, and I think it's fine, because during such a situation it's the love and bond you once shared that'll give you the strength to keep going during those tough times.

But in the event that the worst is going on in such a marriage, would it be ideal for the partner who's the victim to keep enduring the pain all because they want to abide by their wedding vows of for better and for worse? Personally for me, I don't think for better or for worse should get to this aspect of marriage. You can't claim you love me and turn me into a punching bag and expect me to remain in such a marriage because I made a vow. In fact, to hell with such a vow. I mean, what will be the point of such a vow if I perchance get a fatal injury due to the domestic violence or, far worse, lose my life to it?

So in a nutshell, all I'm saying is that "for better or for worse" has no standing when domestic violence comes into the picture, because it obviously shows that such a partner doesn't love you. You can't claim you love your partner and yet you find it easy to raise your hand to hit them whenever you're angry; it just doesn't make sense. And that's why I had that conclusion. I would also love to include another one, although this is actually based on the individual level of endurance and amount of love they have for their partner, and that's in the event that their partner goes into a coma or becomes paralyzed for years.

It's worth noting that during such a situation, you, as the partner, if you aren't rich, would have to be the one who does all the lifting, bathing, and cleaning up all the mess your partner made during those periods for as many years as possible that they're in that state. While love might be enough to make you stick around for some time, one might get overwhelmed by doing this for years and just want to bail out. In all honesty, I won't blame anyone doing that, because to be truthful, it's not easy, especially when the marriage is still young. Assuming it's a marriage that has stood the test of time, then I think you should be able to stick around, but if not, I don't think it's a bad idea after two years or so to bail out for your own mental health and wellness.

That's just my take and opinion on these matters, but what do you think? Is there any ground whereby, for better or for worse, marriage can be ditched, or should it just be outrightly struck out of wedding vows?

All photos are taken and edited on canva.