Arranged Marriage

I have wondered this for a long time:
Arranged marriages have often been condemned.
But are they in fact wonderfully clever devices?

Consider this:
With arranged marriages,
Men and women can explore friendship.
They can be platonically intimate at will
For there can be no subtle hidden motive.
He could not be trying to win her heart.
The choice is no longer valid.

Consider this as well:
The greatest love stories occur amidst such rigidity.
Couples fight against societal traditions,
And in adversity forge a bond nothing could ever sway.
There would be less break-ups and divorces.
Love will once again be eternal.

Relationships need to be proven by hardships.
Something that society today lacks.
Something that has resulted in skyrocketing divorce rates.
Something that has led David Gilmore to question:
"If love never lasts forever, what's forever for?"

I am not in favour of arranged marriages.
But I must admit its tremendous ability in cultivating love.
For only when they've lost the freedom to love
Will people realise how precious it really is.
Something that clearly has been taken for granted today.