By Ian Ortega
Not many things surprise me in this country, for example, I don’t get surprised when I find marks for a course-unit I don’t offer at University.
However, I’m surprised this still happens in the 21st century: a man sponsors a lady in the university with the hope of marrying her. She graduates, becomes better informed about what she needs in life, and changes her mind about marrying the man. The man starts bleating all over the place, insisting on a refund on all he spent. Bullshit! If I were a lady, I wouldn’t even marry a man who’s so stupid he thinks one would get a good education and make the same choice after five years!
Hmm, was the girl some kind of stock market in which the man bought shares? Life and love are complicated, marriage is dicey, and education only highlights these facts. To mandate a girl to marry a man or refund the money is, to me, very low. It doesn’t even cut it.
If we’re talking about heartbreak, that’s a different issue; but monetary compensation in the form of a refund is just reminiscent of capitalism. The girl is not a dog, she cannot be expected to hang unto the man’s leash; life is quite vast.
Again, when you consider that the girl may well have been a victim of undue influence, where her impecuniuty was exploited in favour of the engagement, with the funding of her education as fringe benefit.
Education has one function: to enlighten; and when this is achieved, one cannot rightly expect the enlightened to manage and squat in the dark, no.
In my view, the girl’s breaking the engagement seems like the wiser decision for both of them. I do not, by this, encourage a girl to be blatantly manipulative or gold-digging; but even with due regard for the man, I find no moral justification in seeking a refund.
Finally, as someone stated, a broken engagement is better than a broken marriage. And on a serious note, are there guys who are sponsored by ladies? I want to have a PHD by 28 years.
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