News of spouses murdering one another have been circulating at an alarming rate lately. A man murdering his wife because he received news that she was planning on leaving him, a woman stabbing her husband to death over finances, and the general public gets shook up for a minute by the violence before quickly moving on.
Has human life become so cheap, that it’s worth taking over a simple argument? Is having your wife take her last breath in front of your very own eyes after you stabbed her to death better than resolving whatever disagreement in a civilized way?
Over the weekend, local media reported that a man murdered his wife with a knife that he had purchased with that very goal in mind. And, while confessing to his crime, he mentioned that he had told her dead body “I told you let’s get back together during these holy days [Eid el-Adha] and you said no.”
His actions came after months of marital problems, during which he left their shared home and left her with their two kids.
This incident is not the first of its kind, and it is not the last of it. The general public was shocked by such news, only to move on hours later. But what is being done about it? What is the root of such extreme actions to such simple problems in retrospect?
People resorting to such extreme forms of violence can be traced to various reasons. It can be caused by a motif (love, lust, loathing or loot). Studies also suggest that societies are ‘sick’ due to their addiction to violence, making society the thing to blame.
It is hard to pinpoint a certain reason for a person to resort to murder, but what is surely known is how hard the murder affects secondary victims for those who knew the victim and the murderer, who could potentially suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the General Strain Theory (GST) of crime, acts of violence can be traced back to an emotional strain in one’s life.
If a marriage has become ruled by such negative emotions and such strong feelings of anger, then why doesn’t the couple call it off?
Well, the idea of separating two lives after they have become joined for so long is a lot scarier than it seems. Now add kids to the equation, and you got two miserable people stuck in an unhappy marriage for the sake of everyone but themselves.
This undoubtedly leads to feelings of resentment, anger and hatred, which could eventually turn violent.
The idea of change can be so scary for people, that they would rather the familiar, even if it means sacrificing their happiness and spending eternity in a miserable marriage.
The idea of divorce and separation needs to change, so that a person doesn’t stay in a dangerous marriage that could potentially cost them their life, rather than be looked down upon by society.