Hi Martin, Just wondering why you referred to your ex-gf throughout the piece as “ the German.” Sounded a bit odd. That being said, you write really well.

As someone coming from an arranged marriage, I think marriage is about compromise and commitment. I think people currently have a more romantic view of what is really ( IMHO) a practical institution.

I also think that it is not necessary for your partner to have the same set of interests as you do. My husband and I are very different from each other. He’s a nuts and bolts guy and I am more of a creative. We’ve been married forty-plus years now.

Your partner doesn’t have to fulfill your every need. He or she is just one part of your life. It’s hard for one person to be our everything.

Just my two cents. I’m from an older generation and perhaps not in sync with how things are today.