Consequently, it is hard to rationalize how any married person could ever look down on singles, talk down to singles, trivialize the plight of singles, or otherwise be insensitive to singles. As a former single (and, if they are not careful, a future single) they should feel only genuine concern and empathy for singles and seek to support them with love and respect. As we all know, however, rare indeed is such a person.
This is what disturbs me most of all. To see this sudden metamorphosis from a single who gets it, who feels it, who lives it to an insensitive and disconnected married person who cannot even be bothered to forward an e-mail to the singles they used to associate with – this is truly sad.
And if they bring with them into married life this sort of fleeting concern for others whose pain they should forever share, I shudder to think what that married life is destined to look like. More, what might a community of such people look like?
“Mazal tov,” I replied, “though I have to say that many people on the list are married and still see a benefit in being involved in some small way. I’m sorry you don’t share this idea.”
I never heard back. But why should I have? They’d already done their part.