Out of sight, out of mind

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Out of sight, out of mind!

It is no secret that in the life of other married couples one day there comes a moment when it suddenly becomes clear: whatever you do, divorce is inevitable. In addition, the spouses have already, it seems, worn out with each other so much that parting seems to be the best way out. Nevertheless, there is little that can cause such a heat of passions and a storm of emotions like a divorce. As a rule, this process is quite tense, conflictual and scandalous. In such a situation, we cease to recognize our, in essence, the sweetest friends and acquaintances who suddenly turn into shrews and hysterics, misers and whiners, in general - into irreconcilable enemies.

Since the days of the Roman Empire, the most radical way to get rid of hateful wife there was a lavish funeral of the latter. It was later in Rome that the idea of a contractual marriage arose, that is, a marriage that was concluded for a year and after the specified time was either extended or ceased to exist. This is already some kind of liberalism.

"No, that won't work!", - decided men in different countries and got rid of their wives by sending them to a monastery, such as John the Terrible or Peter the Great. The latter sent his wife Evdokia to the monastery, wishing to remarry, but it was under Peter I that the tradition of "amicable" divorces arose. In 1722, Peter I issued a decree on "temporary separation", which allowed the spouses to leave without asking permission from the Synod. For this, it was necessary to give a written confirmation in front of witnesses that you did not have any claims against your ex-spouse.

Over time, this method of divorce became very popular among the nobility of the 19th century. However (see above), such "temporary separation" cannot be considered an official divorce, which entails the division of property and other unpleasant consequences. Often, after a formal departure, the spouses maintained quite friendly relations. Purely mythical reasons were used to formalize the divorce that had already taken place. For example, Prince A. P. Vyazemsky, having lived ten years in marriage and eight years apart from his wife, asked the Synod to divorce them because of "old age, illness and inability to cohabit." The Holy Synod, realizing the far-fetched pretext, granted the request. And thus he made his contribution to the charitable process of promoting voluntary and peaceful divorces. Noble noblewomen of the century before last were not afraid of divorce: they knew their property rights for sure. They were entitled to a seventh of the spouse's estates and a fourth of his real estate and capital. Unless, of course, they behaved decently towards their ex-husband. Civil laws of the 18th century called on the warring parties to refrain from "fighting and assault, mutual bites, obscene barking and roaring." There were, however, absurd wives who demanded from their husband almost all the property. Such was the wife of Generalissimo Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. Desperate to divorce her, Suvorov asked Paul I for permission to take a monastic vow. And only the active mediation of the sovereign helped to resolve the matter amicably …

Divorces have become commonplace already in the twentieth century. True, the problems arising in connection with divorce are growing. Especially among rich people, and especially if their "half" have no less absurd character, a good lawyer and take an active life position. So, in the mid-1960s, the 29-year-old Duke of Argyll filed for divorce, accusing his 19-year-old wife of adultery. He provided photographs as evidence. There was depicted his other half, who did not just make love to another man - she did it in an extremely perverse form. The duke decided to subject the young wife to such humiliation for purely mercantile reasons: in the event of an amicable divorce, he would have to pay his wife 50 thousand pounds annually. The Duchess, however, found experienced lawyers, and the case dragged on. The process lasted thirty years. The 59-year-old duke still won the case. I think by this time the issue of adultery was completely irrelevant.

Twentieth-century society, of course, has become more tolerant of divorce. For example, in African countries, women have received the right to become the initiators of divorce. An Egyptian man has long been able to get a divorce with almost no problems, while a woman filing for divorce still needs to prove the facts of ill-treatment by her husband. And now the Egyptian parliament has made unprecedented concessions - women have received the right to file for divorce due to "psychological incompatibility" with their spouses. True, in this case, an essential reservation remains: a woman must return the kalym, i.e. the ransom that the future husband paid to the bride's parents in due time. That's it! I returned the money - and you can be free!

In the Republic of Guinea back in the 60s. A family law reform was carried out. Women's councils have become an integral part of the local self-government system. This situation has generally been preserved to this day. At a meeting of the women's council, any wife can expose her husband for a variety of sins, for example, treason or assault. In addition to public censure, he faces a fine in favor of his wife's relatives or the local community, the size of which is determined by the same women's council. For a man, it is not very promising and even shameful to fight the women's council through the court.

This is in Islamic countries. What is going on in Europe? And in Europe, some representatives of the post-industrial society have gone so far as to organize not only virtual weddings, but also virtual divorces. Craftsmen of the Internet offered interested married couples prompt, non-publicized divorce services. £ 79.99 for the divorce proceedings on documents sent over the Internet to Desktop Loer. The traditional path to liberation from the bondage of marriage requires at least five times that cost. On the Internet, filling out the documents takes only half an hour. They are then sent to experts waiting at the computers. After checking and agreeing with the clients, the lawyers submit the documentation to the court.

The services of the service have already been used by 300 couples, and, as experts predict, the company will soon be expecting an influx of applicants.

A similar service exists in Russia - his name is LOVE IS GONE^® (divorce center). This center specializes in legal support of the entire divorce process from filing a claim to obtaining a divorce certificate. The personal presence of the spouses is not required. The main objective of the project is to make the dissolution of marriage (both for the spouses and their children) as painful and less dramatic as possible, so that their rights and legitimate interests are protected.

*****

So, is it possible to get a divorce without exhausting the soul finding out who is to blame and who is worse? The centuries-old history of mankind says bluntly: no. However, progress, as you know, consists not only in the invention of the cistern, but also in the softening of morals. People are becoming smarter and more selfish - many have already understood that it is best to part without malice. Divorce is a test. A test of common sense, on which your future largely depends.