I got married recently. Why? Or, I know my reasons, but it cost so much. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I do not regret it, but I find it very difficult to justify the expense. Are there not better ways of spending money than on a single day? Why do we still do this?
Dear Anand,
You seem very clear on the fact that you don’t regret either getting married or spending so much on the day, so who do you feel the need to justify it to, the world or yourself? It would be too easy to blame it on society, since many people don’t make the same choice. It sounds like you would have liked to be the kind of person who didn’t enjoy these things. But you do! So if you truly know your reasons, as you seem to, then enjoy the memory of the day fully for what it was, and don’t doubt its worth. Instead, why not think about what you can do in your everyday life to achieve something you deem genuinely worthy but that benefits other people?
Yours,
Alix
Alix Cohen
University of Edinburgh, UK
Murdoch often talks about Kant - sometimes positively, more often not so much - but what she alway brings with her is an insightful and unexpected aspect of his thought. Reading Kant through Murdochian lenses has certainly taught me as much about him as it has about her.
