A successful marriage is one that adapts and grows with the times. There are lulls, peaks and valleys. There will always be temptations, it's how a marriage faces those temptations that show the true strength of its bond.
My marriage of seven years failed after I exhausted all efforts to save it with senior DJs help, marriedmansexlife forum, books, individual/couples counseling and the church. Without getting into specifics, I would say I still have hope for marriage as an institution, yet the prospects are tough these days. Sure I spin plates now as this site preaches, yet I'm much more detached, logical, and shrewd when evaluating someone as long term potential. I'll entertain, laugh, and enjoy a date, yet find I think carefully later when I evaluate if I want to continue seeing that person. I 'next' earlier than I used to. I do my best to not let my hamster get in way of logical decisions. I'm looking for attraction, Christian values, and emotional stability. Other factors: how does this person treat service people, waiting staff, friends, family, hows the relationship with the parents, are they still together? How does this person handle social media, communication/texting, debt, alone time. It's a tall list, I realize, yet these are meaningful factors in a long-term relationship.
A DJ has to screen hard, even then he isn't guaranteed a successful marriage. We all have free will and can walk away at any time. A marital partner can decide to check out 7 months, 1-3 years, 7 years, decades later, who knows. Marriage is a gamble. The family unit in itself has depreciated in respect in the last few decades, yet that's been discussed ad infinitum elsewhere...
Despite my tone in this post, I can say marriage isn't a total downer. I know some couples today of various ages and lengths that I know that are still going strong. Like fires, they continue to burn with passion, adoration, and mutual respect. Burning slowly, yet steady with the elements. There's a mutual respect that you see in their interactions. The way they talk to each other, body language, simple gestures, random notes -- all reminders of what initially sparked the desire for one another. They're independent, yet know how to support the other half emotionally and physically. Loved ones will die, someone may lose a job, someone may get in a debilitating car accident, struggle with a mental/physical illness. It's life, storms will come. Many are unavoidable to an extent. It's how the married couple emerges through events matter (for better or worse right?)