It’s finally over.
(And if you were hoping the election came early so all the memes, rants, and rotten rhetoric were over, my sincerest apologies. We unfortunately have 40 more days of this.)
Uh, nope. It’s “Brangelina.” Perhaps you heard; it’s over.
The marriage of Hollywood superstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is coming to an end. Together for 12 years, married for 2, Jolie’s attorney announced last week that Jolie has filed for dissolution of their marriage. He adds, “This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”
Let me first say that privacy should be granted. Divorce is hard on everyone involved, regardless of reason. It’s hard on the parents, hard on the kids. Pitt and Jolie have 6 children.
Pitt met Jolie on the set of their 2004 movie, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” He was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time. While Pitt denies any physical affair, he did tell “Rolling Stone” magazine 4 years later that the Smith movie was his favorite “because I fell in love.” Pitt, though, is not alone in Hollywood in his extramarital affairs…
Julia Roberts and Daniel Moder… Moder was married to his first wife of only a few years when he got involved with Roberts.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward… These two were long celebrated as one of Hollywood’s greatest love stories, married for 50 years until his death in 2008. However, he was married to Jackie Witte when he met Woodward in 1953.
And then there’s Jerry Seinfeld and his wife Jessica Sklar. They met at an exclusive health club on New York City’s Upper West Side. Not only was Sklar married when they got involved; she had just returned from her 3 week honeymoon.
Let me be especially clear in each of the above: I do not believe in throwing stones. I believe in the application of generous grace, and I will gladly stand first in line, confessing my deep need for such. We have each made mistakes; we are each still capable of making mistakes; and we will each make more. Hence, there is zero reason for any of us to throw stones at another (… Note: another tidbit to be remembered during election season…).
So in my commitment to be the thrower of no stone, I will say nothing bad about Seinfeld, etc., nor about the latest marital casualty of Brad and Angelina. They do not deserve our condemnation. Again, divorce is painful enough.
Also, none of us know all the details regarding what factors were/are relevant in celebrity relationships forming or dissolving. Our perspectives are very limited (… another good thing to remember during election season…).
So no, they don’t deserve criticism or condemnation.
Here, though, is what we as a public don’t deserve:
We don’t deserve a media which takes a marriage — which only began by ruining another — and presents it as good and true and right. Without personal repentance from those involved — which we may or may not be privy to — we don’t deserve the media celebrating either the marriage or the dissolution.
So again, no stones; we each make our share of mistakes. I’m just uncomfortable ignoring one major huge detail in order to celebrate the other.
Respectfully… always…
AR