Page 108 - The Religion Of The Ignorant

THE RELIGION OF THE IGNORANT

the idea of love between them is superficial, they soon see that the
emotions they believed to be love have turned into an enforced famil-
iarity.
For the first few months, husband and wife try not to let these
feelings show and to get on with one another, in order not to let down
appearances. But as time passes, they begin to lose respect, to be
coarse, offensive, intolerant and thoughtless, behaving in such a way
as to make it clear they have fallen out with each other. However, they
try not to let on to those around them. Nonetheless, everyone is actu-
ally well aware of the situation, and this phenomenon is regarded as a
natural process. An interesting indication of this is the way that the
first days of marriage are called the honeymoon. Clearly the honey-
moon will soon come to an end, and years full of exasperation, trouble
and even conflict will begin.
As the marriage moves on, general problems such as children
and making ends meet, and the psychology problems these engender,
come to dominate. Constant tension and limited relations between the
members of the household are experienced. Money is a constant sub-
ject of argument. Matters such as control and jealousy between hus-
band and wife give rise to tension and conflict. The man constantly
talks about work, he never listens to his wife and constantly watches
the television and is uninterested in or bad-tempered toward their
children. This constitutes the natural climate of the household.
Untidiness generally prevails. Little attention is paid to cleanli-
ness. That is why married people do not want their homes to be seen
under normal conditions. The furniture, accessories, tablecloths etc. in
the house are arranged not for the comfort of those living there, but in
order to be appreciated by others. A separate room is set aside for
guests. Those living in the house do not generally use that part of the
house used for show. The most expensive and best-quality items in

106