Seven Year Itch

There have been endless articles on the reasons for divorce. It is a shocking reality that 50% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, pretty amazing odds by any standard. It's higher in other parts of the world so count your blessings.  Basically its a bit like buying a new car - as soon as you drive off the lot the entrophy begins - so the glow of 'i do' forever quickly starts to wane into 'i do until i change my mind'.  Love and commitment reaches a low apparantly in the 4 year anniversary mark and then picks up again until year 7 when all bets are off as the seven year itch attacks.  If you get past 10 years, well you are amazing!

Adultery, boredom, finances, changing interests, children, who knows.  Most states today are no fault - so you really don't have to state a reason for divorcing. No one is to blame is the new standard. Unreconcilable difference means I just can't be bothered to try  to reconcile.  Don't you wish life was simpler like back in 1972 when the state of Missisippi stated the following 10 very prescriptive reasons for allowing a divorce. Got to love the pure simplicity of the reasoning.  You'd think #11 was a no brainer. Oh my god did people really do #2?  Where was viagra for #1? No ambiguity at all. 3-7 are pretty self explanatory and I think I plead #8 or is it #12?  I think its fascinating that you could get a divorce is you were insane when you GOT married but not if you were insane at the time you were asking for a divorce and that you have to actually strugle through 3 years of treatment before a divorce is possible. Seems a little unfair to me :-)

So here is what they said...

Divorces from the bonds of matrimony may be decreed to the injured party for any one or more of the following twelve causes, viz:

First. Natural impotency.
Second. Adultery, unless it should appear that it was committed by collusion of the parties for the purpose of procuring a divorce, or unless the parties cohabited after a knowledge by complainant of the adultery.
Third. Being sentenced to any penitentiary, and not pardoned before being sent there.
Fourth. Wilful, continued and obstinate desertion for the space of one year.
Fifth. Habitual drunkenness.
Sixth. Habitual and excessive use of opium, morphine or other like drug.
Seventh. Habitual cruel and inhuman treatment.
Eighth. Insanity or idiocy at the time of marriage, if the party complaining did not know of such infirmity.
Ninth. Marriage to some other person at the time of the pretended marriage between the parties.
Tenth. Pregnancy of the wife by another person at the time of the marriage, if the husband did not know of such pregnancy.
Eleventh. Either party may have a divorce if they be related to each other within the degrees of kindred between whom marriage is prohibited by law.

and my personal favorite,,,

Twelfth. Incurable insanity. But no divorce shall be granted upon this ground unless the insane party shall have been under regular treatment for insanity and causes thereof, confined in an institution for the insane for a period of at least three years immediately preceding the commencement of the action.