Importance of Compatibility
All that glitters is not gold. The proverb means that appearances should not sway people since appearances are always deceptive. Someone may pretend to be celebrated on the outside, but their character is foul. The biggest mistake that people make when choosing a partner for marriage is looking at beauty. Beauty is on the outside, but the character is on the inside. A person may be beautiful, but their character will ultimately fail the marriage. The most important characters for marriage are tolerance, respect, and love.
Love is arguably the most essential element of a good marriage. Love is essential since, without it, the marriage is not built on a solid foundation. It is love that brings people together and helps them stick together en in hard times. Shortly after marriage, my business did not do well, and I lost most of the business. Many of my wife’s friends advised her to leave since I could barely take care of her. However, because she loved me, she stuck to me till the business was revived. If a person does not love you, they will leave at the slightest hint of trouble since their feelings are only superficial. Had my wife chosen to be with me because of money, she would have left when the business failed. Love is, therefore, the strongest pillar that supports marriage.
Respect in marriage helps to build a bond that cannot be severed by any other thing. Respect is essential such that each partner will know that they are operating on equal terms, and their opinions are valued in the decision making. When one is respected, they feel they are valued by the other partner. Without respect, there is no trust in the marriage, and as such, the marriage will be full of suspicion. When the couple has a disagreement, they make sure not to raise the issue in public so that the partner is not embarrassed in public. The issue will be resolved when they are alone since they respect each other. When one has no respect, they will even shout at the partner in public, embarrass them without caution, which will eventually lead to strained relationship in the marriage. Relationships without respect hardly end up with marriage, and if they do, the marriage is doomed to fail due to lack of respect.
Tolerance is another essential characteristic that will keep the marriage together. Tolerance is sacrificing or making a compromise on issues so that there is understanding in the home. Tolerance is vital since no person is perfect. Every person has their weakness, and it is only prudent that the person tolerates the specific behavior of the other person. There are things about the partner that one cannot change, and therefore they have to find a way of living with it. Personally, I love the occasional beer while my wife a complete teetotaler. She has to tolerate my occasional drinking so that we do not quarrel every time I go to have a drink. At the same time, she is a fitness freak and spends many hours in the gym and doing yoga. In the same way, I tolerate her love for fitness, and we get along without a problem. As such, tolerate makes sure that we can live with the imperfections of the other person. Without tolerance, it would be quarreling every day and then finally divorce since the other person cannot stand the shortcomings of the other.
In conclusion, the most essential characteristics of a spouse are tolerance, respect, and love. The three components are essential because they are not superficial but in-depth characters of the person. With the three, a marriage is guaranteed to last. When choosing a partner, it is prudent to look for the three characteristics instead of beauty since it is superficial. My personal experience with my wife through losing the business tolerating each other’s pastimes is a testament to the applicability of the characteristics to marriage.