Gotta disagree with you: marriage is a contract, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live. Divorce means your word is worthless, and that your own wants are more important than your word.
It IS a personal failure, but go ahead, rationalize all you want.
> marriage is a contract, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live
Not everyone views marriage as a contract or as something that cannot be broken ever. The legal status of marriage in a jurisdiction != how people feel about and treat marriage.
> Divorce means your word is worthless, and that your own wants are more important than your word.
Giving your word on something isn't a clause that requires you to give up your own wants and needs. For example, if you married someone and one day they become abusive, you are not obligated to stay and take said abuse.
> It IS a personal failure, but go ahead, rationalize all you want.
This attitude is so unhelpful and smacks of a superiority complex.
Gotta disagree with you: marriage is a contract, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live
Not all marriages are presumed to be "for as long as you shall live". Though they don't usually have a set term, civil marriages (at least around here) are not that tied to Christian values anymore.
People are more important than promises. The only reason we value promises is because they make life in general better for people. I've personally experienced and seen multiple others in the situation where ending the marriage really truly was the best thing for both parties. In these cases, your strict adherence to word/contract is patently absurd and creates nothing but pain and suffering.
It IS a personal failure, but go ahead, rationalize all you want.