Books like Marriage and Morals

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!As i started reading this 1929 masterpiece from the great Bertrand Russell, this line just kept repeating itself in my brain in a loop!Ever since i was a teenager, i hv often wondered how come guilt and pleasure are strongly associated in our society – almost everything that gives you pleasure, is a taboo! Leave alone Sexual thoughts (and thoughts were all we can have), even mundane things like talking to friends (wasting time), eating non-veg/chocolates/etc, drinking or even staying up late nights were all frowned upon, and more often than not, done in great secrecy!And here we have Bertrand Russell questioning the very notions of morality regarding sex and marriage and the relevance of males in the society in the future! Phew!“Russell argued that the laws and ideas about sex of his time were a potpourri from various sources, which were no longer valid with the advent of contraception, as the sexual acts are now separated from the conception. He argues that family is most important for the welfare of children, and as such, a man and a woman should be considered bound only after her first pregnancy.” (Wikipedia)Even today, i don’t think any Indian has the guts to put forth the views Russell has. Imagine the reactions the line such as this will have:“Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution.” (Ch. 11: Prostitution)As expected, the book caused a huge furore, and eventually led to Russell even losing a professorship. But, Russell is having the last laugh as the trends that he predicted about Marriages becoming irrelevant and Men losing their importance are largely coming true, at least in the developing world. (Do read the eye popping article – End of Men by Hanna Rosin - http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/a...)But the greatest achievement of this book is not, that it is able to predict some trends, but that it dares to question what the prevailing Truth was at that time based solely on rational thought. In India, where its almost impossible to question what your authority figures – parents /priests /teachers /elder brother or sisters /etc – believe and have tried to instil in your brain as the Absolute Truth, this is indeed a MUST READ BOOK.If you consider yourself open minded, then don’t wait, go ahead a pick a copy of this book and read it, without getting offended if possible. I dare you to!