History Repeating

One thing about being young, single LDS adult in a metropolis is that you are almost guaranteed to know at least 4-5 people to get married every year.  That glorious and coveted exit strategy from singles wards, and usually around those times of multiple marriage celebrations, I feel the urge to pull out my A&E production of "Pride and Prejudice" to revel in that great double wedding scene (and who doesn't love Mr. Darcy - honestly...).

But in the process of getting to that great wedding scene at the end, you go on the roller coaster adventure of the Bennett sisters and this go round, I found myself being unusually cynical about Lydia's relationship.  I hate that part when she pretty much shoves her eldest sister, Jane, out of the way after she and her husband, that dastardly Wickham, out of the way as they go back into the house, sneering, "Oh no, Jane.  You must go lower.  I take your place now, because I am a married woman!" Oooo, I wanted to kick her! Just to spite her and Wickham both, the thought of how their marriage wouldn't last instantly flashed across my mind, and I sat smugly back into my chair as if I had mentally just thrown the ultimate telepathic gauntlet.  Ha! Suckers.  Bad Karma coming your way.

Then I got to thinking.  

I'll try to phrase this a delicately as I can, but mind you, I was in a purely academic mind frame when I started to go down this path.  Lydia was very young, gestationally as well as emotionally, and from several scenes we know that Wickham realized that he hadn't made as wise of a choice when he took Lydia on in his little escapade through life.  It's a fair assessment to say that if they were living in today's society, that marriage probably would have ended in divorce in less than 5 years, and that's likely being generous.  Also, likely, Wickham would be more cautious when he goes to choose a companion that's more suitable for him (at least, logic would suggest so), and it got me thinking...

I know it'd be none of my business, but the male mind is one of those entities that continually fascinates me (because as much as we women make light of the male stereotype, they really do think, feel, love, hate, aspire, etc), I'd really like to know what advice men who divorced in their mid-late 20's would give other boy-men on what to look (or lookout for) when choosing a mate.  And, as a follow-up to that, would the young man take that advice or would they marry the first pretty face without taking into account if they were emotionally mature to take on their new role?