They say marriage takes work. Do you think back when polygamy was the norm, shalom bayit standards were different? Did husband and wife love each other?
Absolutely they loved each other! Didn’t Yaakov love Rachel? I am sure he loved all his wives, each in their own manner.
I think back then though, kids didnt interact with their parents the way they do today. I think meals were much more segregated – men and then women. It wasn’t the atmosphere we have today.
I think marriage is harder today because we have more expectations. We demand more love, time, energy, compassion etc. We give more of the same too. Also, if you wanted space, your husband had other wives to go to. Nowadays, its either you or no one. So, even if you arent in the mood of hearing your husband’s long boring story, you really have to listen and he in turn will do the same for you.
Marriage definitely takes a lot of work, and I think plenty of marriages fail because people don’t want to make it work. One of my coworkers gets to travel all over the world because she is single and making nice money. Its nice to have no responsibilities also. But thats not the life you chose when you got married and I think people forget that sometimes. They want to live the single life while being married. I’m not saying you can’t go out with your friends alone (I do that plenty of times), but its just different.