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Contact: Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor
™ opinions@theotherpress.ca

Love, actually?

» Is age difference a problem in romance?

Elliot Chan
} Opinions Editor
~ ie, B opinions@theotherpress.ca



[; not surprising to see an
older, wealthier man fall for
a younger woman, yet such an
occurrence often still reflects a

sleaziness that causes our society :

cringe. The situation is cruder
when the man divorces his wife
of 26 years to be with this much
younger woman. There are many
cases to draw examples from,
but Pll point at the most recent
one involving my childhood hero
and actor, Rowan Atkinson.
Atkinson, famous for Mr.
Bean, Blackadder, and his scene-
stealer in Christmas classic Love,
Actually, was involved in a swift
65-second divorce proceeding,
separating on the grounds
of “unreasonable behaviour.”
| always wonder about the

wives have on their husbands
and the secret lives husbands
have away from home. It makes
me wonder what “unreasonable



: behaviour” within a marriage

: even means. Because how can

: we truly know how two people
: behave when they are alone?

: This type of classification

: makes me look down on people
: who can’t keep a marriage

: together. It makes me judge

: them poorly. How can I trust

: someone who breaks promises
: “ : and behaves unreasonably?
complexity of marriage: the leash } pow can I trust someone who
: is so easily tempted by what

> wecan only define as lust?

It’s so easy for people at the

: perimeter to point their fingers
: at someone like Atkinson, even
: in 2015, saying that he is just

: swapping old for new. Who

: doesn’t want something new?

: However, when it comes to being
: ina committed relationship,

: that type of behaviour is most

: certainly unreasonable. Then

: again, what if we look at it

: from the view of happiness.

: Over half of all marriages

: end in divorces today... how

: unreasonable is that? Should we
: really be criticizing anyone for

: the complicated choices they




Y If it bleeds, it leads
(Y Religious hypocrisy
(¥ War of the words: Should we #PrayForParis

And more!

: make regarding love? I say no.

It is both an act of courage

: and cowardice to pursue a

: romantic endeavour and to leave
: a committed relationship. It

: digs deeper into the person. You
: are not a student, you are not
Da doctor, you are not a writer,

: or whatever occupation you

: have—deep down, you are those
: you love. I do agree that people

: make mistakes in the realm of

: marriages, but I don’t believe

: people should be judged poorly

: for them. They took a chance at

Image via thinkstock

love and that should be admired.

My problem is the pedestal
people put the status of marriage
on, as if it’s some kind of
achievement. | think it’s that
type of perspective that makes
it hard for so many people to
“love.” Love shouldn't be like
tightrope walking across a
skyscraper. Any slip up will be
met with death. It should bea
journey with many encounters.
It should be a journey made
with a partner. And should the
partnership change, it’s just
the way it is. It’s a part of it.

So should age ever be a
problem in romance? I don’t
think so. When it comes to
consenting adults, they should

: just enjoy each other while they

have time. While age is just a
number, our time on this world
is running out. So share it with
the people who matter and
leave the ones that don’t. You,

: just like Mr. Bean, will have to

make that decision yourself,
no matter how ridiculous and
unreasonable it may seem.



One walks alone

» The Ukrainian conflict teaches us the truth about survival in the world

Idrian Burgos
Contrioutor

year has passed since
Euromaidan, the
unexpected Russian invasion of

in Eastern Ukraine. A ceasefire
brokered several months ago has
been periodically punctured,
though it has stabilized to
an extent. Lives have either
been lost at the hands of Kyiv’s
and Moscow’s fighters or
fled the affected places. Both
buildings and livelihoods have
been smashed to debris. The
elections held on each side
are apparently only going to
reinforce the division further.

What this conflict teaches
us is a fact that has been present
since recorded history, a fact
that is sometimes followed
and often ignored by larger
military and sociopolitical
forces, especially smaller
forces “of good” resisting
larger forces “of evil.” It is the
fact that in any conflict, one
can only rely on oneself.

The crisis has vindicated
the realist theory of global

: relations. Realism argues that

: in an uncertain and anarchic

: world where there is no high

: authority to enforce global rules
: and regulations, countries can
only rely on themselves and
Crimea and the current situation : their capabilities—often of a

: military kind—to enforce their
: goals; this also includes forming
: strategic alliances. Here, we

: see this realized in three ways.

: First, a geographically large

: country, possessing an imperial
: history, nuclear armaments,

: and a key natural resource—not
: to mention a desire to reclaim

: its “great power” heritage—

: can simply push its way ona

: smaller country without too

: much uproar as long as it is

: done strategically and carefully.
: Second, the more powerful and
: influential bloc of countries,

: what is usually described as

: “the West, can be prevented

: from executing stronger

: action by domestic opposition,

: much of it originating from

: said large country. Third,

: the smaller country, as well

: as its neighbouring smaller

: countries, realize that it cannot

: fully rely on said bloc for its
: security and sovereignty.

Perhaps the worst mistake

: the Euromaidan people made :
: during and since their revolution :
: was to tie their anti-Russian :
: uprising to the West. It is indeed :
: a good thing to fight for a :
: more accountable and effective
: government, an economy

: less dependent on its larger

: neighbour, a more independent
: foreign policy, and a more

: assertive national sovereignty.

: However, it would be wrong to

: find a permanent guarantee

: for all of these things from the

: European Union. The problem

: with has two sides. On one

: side, its relatively decentralized
: structure and its inability

: to make a single consensus

; among its members concerning
: certain issues hamstrings it

: from executing more decisive

: action in Ukraine’s favour.

: On the other, its liberal

: universalism of the economy,

: culture, and society endangers

: the maintenance of Ukrainian

: identity and independence.

If there are any true freedom :
y : addition, the formation of a



: fighters in this war, it would

: be those political, military,

: and social organizations that

: recognize that true freedom

: comes from one’s own country,
: not from outside. Those

: that mostly depend on their

: country’s natural and man-

: made resources in resisting the
: bigger foe. The only problem

: with these organizations is

: their confusion of “country”

: with “ethnicity,” something

: that has to be corrected. In

Image via Andrew Lubimov/Associated Press

: non-EU alliance of Central/
: Eastern European countries
: to resist Russian influence

: is an excellent idea.

In any conflict where a

country’s existence is at risk,

: maintaining their autonomy

: from larger, outside forces

: is the important factor.

: The further pursuit of their

: campaign, plus the enactment
: of necessary changes for

: the campaign’s benefit, can

: drive the invaders out and

: ensure national existence.