The Nine Noble Virtues Applied To Marriage

It does not matter who officiates a marriage ceremony; it can be a rabbi, priest, minister, gothi, or justice of the peace.  The people standing before the officiant swear an oath of fidelity and loyalty to each other.  The officiant is one witness to this oath.  Invited guests are other witnesses.  So to your Ancestors, Matronae, and Gods.  Orlog is placed into Urda's Well and Wyrd does play out.  Some folks think they can break the marital oath without wyrd.  Not so.  Forward to the Noble Nine.

Courage - It takes courage in our day to avoid temptation.  The temptation that pops up when one spouse thinks the grass is greener somewhere else when tempers between spouses flair and hurt inflicted.  Courage is fixing the problem and not going to bed angry.

Truth - No intentional lies or deception should exist in a marriage.  Truth fosters trust.  Doubting the faithfulness of a spouse has its origins in deliberate lies and deceptions.  Here is another important point about truth.  Do not pretend to be something or someone that you are not.  This is a gross deception and will sink a marriage faster than the Titanic.  Also, be true to yourself.  Do not give up what is true to you and adopt another way in the hope that it will give you comfort and love.  You will get neither comfort nor love - you will reap heartache.

Honor - You honor your spouse by showing respect not just in public, but also in private.  Belittling your spouse for any reason causes hurt.  And that hurt causes resentment.  Men, treat your wife like a queen.  Ladies, treat your husband like a king.

Fidelity - Loyalty to your spouse in thought, word, and deed.  You stand together in good times and bad.  The martial bed holds just two people; husband and wife.  Sexual affairs violate the marital oath and damage the marriage.  If you love your spouse, honor the marital oath.  If you want sex outside of your marriage, with someone other than your spouse, you should not be married.

Discipline- This virtue underlines the virtues of courage, truth, honor, and fidelity.  A disciplined personed makes the right choices in his life.  A poorly disciplined person does not.  It's that simple.

Hospitality - Fight nice, fight fair.  Whatever happened before the marriage is ancient history.  It does not need to be thrown into your spouse's face.  Is it really necessary to refer to your spouse in an argument in a negative way?  Settle the problem before you go to bed, even if it means staying up until sunrise.  Be good to each other.  Praise each other and thank each other for the littlest of things.  Gift each other with little things that have meaning.  A small trinket that holds specific meaning can have a more positive impact than a budget-busting bauble.  Know your spouse's likes and dislikes. 

Self Reliance - Spouses must take care of themselves and each other.  In our time, the idea of something being 'woman's work' or 'my husband does that' is outdated.  Spouses must pull together to get it done. 

Industriousness - This virtue goes well with Self Reliance.  Spouses must plan their future, together.  They must work their plan, together.  Then they can reap the fruits of their efforts, together.  It is teamwork at its finest. 

Perseverance - This is the virtue that underlines the other eight.  Marriage is not a 100-yard dash.  It is a lifetime marathon.  Perseverance means to never quit, to never give up. 

                         Copyright 2019 Terry Unger All Rights Reserved