It is ironic really. It seems to be the people who have accomplished the most in their lives that have gone through hell when it comes to relationships. In many third world countries, it has been discovered that the root cause of domestic wrangles and violence is poverty. In most cases, man and wife fight either because the man abandons his children and wife without basic facilitations, or he has spent all the money on alcohol or extra-marital relationships. But then in other parts of the world there are relationships that for reasons unconnected to wealth struggle from the beginning. This reminds us that different contexts, pose different challenges and problems, hence the realisation of the truth, in Karl Marx’s view that conflicts are inherent to any human environment. Mumararungu Christine, a married woman in Gatenga, Kicukiro District, when asked about what would bring problems between her and the husband, she revealed:“If my man provides all the necessities for me and the children, I wouldn’t mind even if he takes months without coming back.” Her revelation is typical of African women. Their desperation and emptiness is often a result of their husband’s failure to honour their marital responsibilities. Other married people have everything provided by their partners - magnificent houses, flashy cars, expensive jewelry. But still they divorce. People have divorced their spouses within a blink of an eye, to the surprise of many. This happens irrespective of the time spent in the marriage, the moments shared and the fruits of the marriage, like children and wealth. Such break-ups have led to a series of unprecedented aftermaths. Wrangles surrounding who takes custody of the children or who takes what during the sharing of the possessions accumulated. Lawyers are turned to when a common understanding has become impossible. Colossal amounts of money have been spent on compensations, mostly by men, who have been found to be the villains and causes of the divorce. Marilyn Monroe is the best example in this context. She attained fame and glamour from her incredible acting career, but when it came to relationships and marriage, it was a completely different story. Her spontaneous marriage to Joe DiMaggio was doomed from the start: where Joe was reserved, Monroe was a glamour girl. Unable to sacrifice her life style for her marriage, they divorced. The decision haunted her until the day she died. Different people have given various reasons as to why famous people have had struggling relationships and marriages, leading to divorce and other problems. It is believed that famous celebrities become obsessed with being adventurous. They always want to have more of everything: more men or women, more money, more glamour. They call it living to the fullest when in fact it is deeply destructive. Another reason behind celebrity divorces has been found out to be addictions that have unveiled habits like drug abuse, heavy drinking and depression. Such situations are very common, where spouses have done more than enough to tailor back their partners, lives and the relationship, but in vain. Others have been in and out of rehabilitation facilities but when things have not worked out, divorce has been the answer. A case in example is the recent celebrity divorce of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, who have two children together. Whitney Houston, also went through hell until she finally divorced long time husband Bobby Brown. The trouble came with Brown’s addiction to drugs. Boredom has also been discovered to be responsible for the relentless divorce cases among celebrities. Marilyn Monroe after divorcing Johnny Hyde said “my husband and I hardly spoke, not because we were angry, but we had nothing to talk about, I was dying of boredom’’. Some famous have also divorced due to their differences in the things they value, or beliefs, sometimes resulting from the difference in the environments they grew up from. A case in point on this factor can be seen in the philosophy surrounding Princess Diana’s divorce from Prince Charles. Princess Diana was a down to earth and compassionate human being who couldn’t cope with the expectations of the British royal family. Such a lifestyle, would not allow her to reach out to the common people among whom her heart dwell. We thought they had it all but it seems money really can’t buy happiness. The needy blame failed relationships on poverty while those with all money can buy are also finding it tough to stay together. Perhaps the answer is to try and be somewhere in the middle... Ends
