I'm sitting here watching Fiddler On The Roof and contemplating the decline of arranged marriages. I understand the whole thing, freedom to choose and all that. But, in my opinion, and in some cases, it's not a bad idea. Worked for me... and my older sister (though they still maintain that they made the choice on their own).
My father chose both our husbands before we met them. I remember when he came back from job interviews in Homer. Practically the first thing out of his mouth was about "the bishop's grandson". Heather had just ended things with someone else and wasn't looking to get set up. We moved to Alaska. 6 months later Heather married the bishop's grandson.
As for me, I was attending BYU in Provo, guys everywhere! I came home for Christmas and you would not believe the matchmaking Everyone was doing- ugh! Dad said that there was a Coastie I had to meet. Heather and Trace all tried to get us in the same place. No dice. Finally Dad said that he wasn't going to send me back to school unless I met this guy and invited him over for dinner. Now, to make a long story short, here we are.
They were guys we "had to meet", and in spite of our rebellious streaks, look where we are now. Dad knew more than we gave him credit for. That doesn't mean he always got along with them, or always approved of the things they did. But the matches have stood the test of time well so far, and I know they'll last forever.
So, what's so terrible about an arranged marriage, letting those with more wisdom give some input to an important choice in your life? What do you think?