According to a recent survey conducted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Office of National Statistics, there were as many as 1,41,750 divorces in the year 2004 and 1,53,399 cases in 2005. The reason for the divorces, which were granted to wives in most cases, was ?the husband's behavior?. The Church of England, which is upset over the increasing number of divorces, reasons that, ?Behind every divorce there are sad stories of relationships broken and damaged?.



Marriage is not an institution of sacred bonds in the UK. The concept of marriage as an ?institution? has not been possible in UK. It can be attributed to materialist pleasure, easy accessibility to law, liberal approach towards relationships, respecting someone's beliefs or privacy, fear of developing a monotonously emotional comfort zone, individualism, immense faith in self dependency? the list goes on. The primary reason for the increasing number of divorces in the UK is that couples somehow do not believe marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Marriage is not treated as one's best chance to be happy by becoming emotionally mature.

The survey conducted by the BBC also reveals that divorce rate in UK has considerably lowered since 2000. The figures show that more and more couple are choosing to stay married. The statistics show that the divorce rate in Wales fell by 8% and in Northern Ireland it fell by 6 % in 2005. As a whole it fell by 7% in 2005 alone. The figures drive home the point that divorce is not really the answer. The research shows that divorce is far worse than being miserable alone. Remarrying is popular in the UK and this is a happy note. The Church of England welcoming the fall in divorce rate, has said, ?It believes marriage helps couples grow in maturity overcome personal failings and that is the best environment for bringing up children?. It seems couples have understood that children, who are the victims of divorce, should not be made scapegoats for their parents? impulsive decisions. It is not that only money and power help couples cross personal barriers and remarry. Rich and poor couples remarry to safeguard the interests of their wards.

The alternatives to divorce can be - accepting someone unconditionally, trust, high-level maturity, empathy, remembering that tastes, habits, ideas, opinions, feelings do differ from person to person, do not marry in haste and repent later, before making a irrevocable move, just see whether you are really prepared for a life-long commitment with the person you have chosen. Never allow ego to creep into your relationship and spoil the well thought out proposal. Never make impulsive statements at the time of judging relationships. Developing a ?love feeling? towards a friend is not enough. Be prudent in your moves, after all, it is your life and you are the master of your future. Again you will be the master of your sorrows too.