The dreaded ‘D’ word today has not as much to do with certain notorious dons but more to do with ‘divorce’. Divorce deserves to be discussed in detail, because of the different dilemmas it throws up, if and when it is contemplated.

The word is often thrown at each other in the midst of a conflict, but a serious contemplation of the same, and the actual movement towards divorce, is dreaded the most.

Is it better that the marriage ends in the courts, or that it ends in a mental asylum, an ICU or a morgue?

Is it better to part amicably after having an emotional closure on the relationship, by wishing well to oneself and the other, or to remain locked in a painful loveless and bitter bondage with both actively or passively aggressive against each other?

Is it better that children caught in the middle of a bad marriage stay with their warring parents under the same roof, or with either one with visit to the other?

Is it better for the children to be with two insane parents driving each other up the wall or with one sane one? The question here is not about providing oneself, the partner, the relationship and the children an ideal environment, but about which is the lesser of the two evils?

Children, under the guise of whom the couple desperately hangs on to a failing marriage, are the worst affected, as they are victimize and scarred permanently with having to hear derogatory words like ‘your bitchy and nagging mother’ or your ‘insensitive and uncaring father’, and they feel torn and forced to take sides.

This behavior on the part of parents’ chips away at the self-worth of the child like nothing else can.

And the farce of the marriage sets the stage for these children having low self-worth, and making self-defeating decisions in their own man-woman relationships in the future.

Divorce is sometimes the only option to exercise, and though it is not the ideal life that you had envisioned for yourself, it might be the lesser of the two evils.

If you cannot live harmoniously together, then it is better to live harmoniously apart. Remember, there are no perfect solutions in life, only better or worse alternatives.