Hate to break it to you, Gwyneth Paltrow Martin, but people
have been "consciously uncoupling" for years. You did not invent it
and it is not a new trend.
Before you and Chris publicly announced your split, you
decided to put a pretentious spin on something most couples set out to do when
it's time to put an end to their marriage: Wreak as little havoc into the lives
of the children they created.
I can tell you, it's not easy--regardless of how
enlightened you are, how spiritual you are, and how "guided" you are.
It's sad when most marriages end. It's even sadder when
children are collaterally damaged in the process. Often it's the first inkling
they have that life is not perfect, their parents are not perfect, and their own love
lives may never be perfect either.
It is not my intent to be a "hater" and it's not
really my business whether Gwyneth and Chris "pray, lay or stay" but
when you try to make it sound as though you—and only you—have found the spiritually
conscious way to walk away from a marriage, you insult everyone who has learned
the hard way that there's no pretty way for something that is spiritually,
emotionally, and often physically extremely painful.
Ending a marriage or long-term relationship is a massive change to
life as the couple has come to know it and while change can be cathartic and an
intense learning experience, some have handled it much better than others. When
it occurs, the couple can only hope to be mature and supportive as their
"new lives" turn into the same old thing, with sensitive and loving
attention to their children in the process.
I'm sure you'll cash in on all this and your followers will
see you as brave and trend-setting but you can afford to be. Couples have had
painfully less resources and achieved the same goal quite successfully.
Only they called it what it is:
"separation," "divorce," and (gasp, the horror!) "splitting up."
