With reference to your editorial Fear of flying is unfounded (December 30), it is more about the fear of not being able to do anything and the absolute certainty of death if the plane falls from the sky.
The chances may be far lower than a car crashing, but it is possible to survive a car crash. With a few miraculous exceptions, nobody ever survives a plane crash.
Karl Naylor, Dubai
The news that an AirAsia plane has gone missing with 162 passengers on board is deeply upsetting (Search expands for missing AirAsia passenger jet, December 30).
It is the third tragedy this year involving a Malaysian carrier. While the fate of the AirAsia aircraft is yet to be determined, it’s surprising that the world is still clueless about MH370.
The disappearance of these two aircraft should prompt us to look deeper into aviation safety issues.
Ramachandran Nair, Oman
Many factors behind rising rates of divorce
The issue of divorce is complex, but I think it can be pinpointed mostly to one main factor (Complex social change is reason for the UAE's high divorce rate, December 30).
I know that women don’t have to put up with as much as they used to, because they can support themselves. This is universally true, so men all over the world have had to become more thoughtful of their treatment towards the woman they marry.
Usually the women who stay in an unhappy marriage do so because they feel they can’t support themselves if they leave. With the employment rate comparable among the genders, women won’t put up with disrespect.
The other factor is lack of proper communication. If a couple can communicate well, that is because there is mutual respect. Lack of communication leaves many couples feeling that their emotional needs are not met. I think proper communication skills are fostered during childhood. Too many children aren’t allowed to communicate as freely as adults and this messes with their ability to communicate as adults. They then pass this on to their children.
It’s that idea that children are to be seen and not heard and the idea that being harsh with a child will help teach them social etiquette.
This has produced countless insecure adults who can’t properly communicate with their partners.
It’s a brutal cycle across the globe. The difference is that women can leave because they can now support themselves.
It’s vital to raise our children consciously so that they can become functional adults.
Tiffany Malnar, US
I think early marriage is one of the main causes of divorce. I have a friend from Abu Dhabi. He’s only 24 and just finished college, but his family is forcing him to get married.
He’s not ready but he has succumbed to the pressure from both families. Maybe men and women need to enjoy their life and then choose who and when they want to marry.
Liana Edmondson, Abu Dhabi
A distinguished professor of mine once remarked the main cause of divorce is marriage.
She was implying that (dysfunctional) dynamics that surround marriage eventuate in divorce. We need to ask why people get married, for starters, then maybe we’ll be able to figure out why they divorce.
Haaike Ahmad Barnard, Abu Dhabi
Most couples I know have divorced because of adultery. I’m surprised this wasn’t mentioned in the article.
Mardi Stark-Shamsi, Abu Dhabi
