I don't think they are completely irrelevant. I certainly hold in much higher esteem, people who have long lasting marriages, compared to people who keep switching partners. At the same time, people are complex and nobody is without flaws.

From the outside we can see longe marriages as cute, but that is only that.

Better switch partners and seek hapinness than to live in a bad marriage.

People change and so should relationships if the people in it don't find them suitable.

My views, which, again, all this discussion is not relevant to article.

That's such a reductionist view of marriage, but it's completely in sync with the modern fleeting pleasure seeker mentality, coupled with the end game of commoditisation. Don't like your car? Change it. Don't like your wife ? Change it

> People change and so should relationships if the people in it don't find them suitable.

If that's your starting point why even marry ?

> If that's your starting point why even marry?

Tax benefits!

That is not what I said but perhaps I should make things clearer.

Changing things is an option if all else fails, not change at first sign of distress.

We have one life and once it's gone, it's gone, so in my view we should try to have a happy one.

And no idea why I'm even discussing this in this thread, I have been happily married with my wife for almost 30 years!

Carl Sagan was an excellent scientist and a wonderful thinker, writer and communicator. He may have committed adultery, so what?