A day after starting my first ever job, I had a chat with a colleague about marriage. I told her about arranged marriage, which she likened to prostitution, a comparison that offended me. However, ‘new boy’ timidity got the better of me and I did not press the point further.
Over ten years and an online revolution later, I feel more confident about defending a custom that I perceive to be a perfectly acceptable way of finding a partner. What can be possibly wrong with being introduced to prospective life partners? Critics may say that there is no spontaneity, no falling in love, no preceding romance that blossoms. But where is the spontaneity in speed dating? Where is the personal touch in making contact over cyberspace or replying to a ‘Connections’ ad in your local paper? Why is it acceptable for introduction agencies to arrange relationships but repugnant for parents to do so? And I will not even mention ‘dogging’…
That is not to say that enforced marriage, which does unfortunately take place, is acceptable. Compelling someone to marry against their will is morally wrong. Introducing someone who is ready for marriage to prospective partners is not.
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