That confusion becomes more evident every year. People experience difficulty when they try to get along with other people. More know how to argue and fight with others than they know how to enjoy others. Many people have a lot of acquaintances but few friends. In no relationship is it more obvious that relationship skills are declining than it is in marriage.
Troubled marriages outnumber stable marriages.
Grieving marriages outnumber joyful marriages. Marriages in conflict outnumber marriages that cooperate. Marriages that show contempt outnumber marriages that express respect. More marriages fall to separation or divorce than rise to genuine contentment. In talking with people whose troubled relationship causes them sorrow and anxiety, I hear this statement.