Marriage teaches people to be kind:
The man who has a wife and children has given a hostage to fortune. He likes to say that wife and children are a kind of obstacle to any great enterprise. For that person who lives a married life, they must do it. They must take care of their family. If you research history, we can find a single man has done many good works such as donation, social welfare, etc. Because they had no family to look after and they could make the sacrifice of their time intelligence and riches for the well-being of humanity.
Married men are mostly concerned with the future of their wives and children. It does not mean all unmarried men of the world are always interested to do good works for society.
Single people are not interested in their future. Some single men regard wives and children as a kind of cause of expenditure. Some unmarried men are there who are so foolish that they think people may regard them as not so rich if they have spouses and children to maintain.
They take pride in having no children and wives. Bacon asserts that the most ordinary cause of a single life is the love for liberty. Most of the single men are self-pleasing and they are so sensible that they regard almost everything as a restraint on their liberty. Single life is ok for churchmen, but not suitable for the soldiers and does not matter for the judges and magistrates.
Single Man Get enough time for Social-welfare:
Thus. Bacon says, "most of the great works have been done by single men". But it does not mean that single life is always great. Bacon has a positive view of wife and children and married life.
He says that someone takes wife and children as a kind of 0 hindrances to the great achievement of men. But actually, wife and children are a kind of discipline of humanity. Single men can be more charitable and kind sometimes than married men.
But generally, they are cruel and hard-hearted. Because the softness and tenderness of their nature are not practiced in their family lives. Men of grave nature who are led by the custom of society and thereby constant in belief and behavior are better as husbands.
Bacon says,
Unmarried men are best friends, best masters, best servants, but not best subjects.
Bacon says that unmarried men may have many good qualities as they have got a very bad characteristic that eclipses all good. Unmarried men are best friends because they can spend money and time with friends. They are best masters because they can bestow his kindness to their servants.
They are the best servants because they can give more services to their masters. But unmarried men are not the best subjects or citizens because they are so light of liabilities that they can flee away at any moment from one country to another.
Every man should get married:
The wives do not usually like jealous husbands. Chaste women are the most successful wives. Chaste women are very often proud of their chastity. Chastity and obedience, both are the best bonds of family life. A wife respects her husband when she sees him wise. Bacon says that a wife is essential for every man.
Wives play different helpful roles at different stages of a man's life. A wife is a young man's mistress, companion for a middle-aged man, and nurse for an elderly man. So, a man can marry at any age. But as philosopher Thales says, a man should not marry when he is so young and when he is so old. But bacon is the opposite of Thales. Bacon thinks a man can marry at any age.
Bacon says highly in favor of marriage for the soldiers. He says that every soldier should have a wife and children. The soldiers who have got wives and children are generally kind in the heart but hard in fighting. They love their family members as well they love their motherland.
For the sake of the welfare of their wives and children, the married soldiers fight better The commanders can easily inspire the soldiers by reminding them of their families at home. The soldiers think about the safety of their family members and fight heart and soul against the enemy.
Bacon thinks that a wife is essential for a man So, a man can marry at any age if he feels the need to marry. He says, if a man marries at a young age, she plays the role of his mistress. If a man murries at middle age, she acts as a companion, and at old age, she can act as a nurse.
Conclusion:
By the way, marriage is really important for human life. Though Single people can do a lot of things for society, they are crueler and self-center people. They often think about themselves. Where marriage teaches People to love, take responsibility. So, Bacon thinks It is a must for common people to get married and have a family.
summary of "Of married and Single life"
Author: Bacon
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