Our neighbours are getting married today. Nothing unusual in that you might think, except that Mary and Fred are 81 and 86 respectively and they have been living together for 33 years.

So, I hear some of you say, what’s the point in getting married after all this time?

There is something about speaking out a commitment in front of other people, and in this case, their God, that makes it seem more real. It validates the commitment in a way that resonates strongly with us as human beings.

Having other people (and God) witness our intent seems to affect us more deeply than if we simply make the commitment to ourselves or even to one other person. 

So I can understand Mary and Fred wanting to speak out in front of their family and friends. Even if impartial observers think that 33 years is enough to prove their commitment without need of a ceremony.

For this reason, on our management and leadership training courses, we often ask people to make a spoken commitment, in front of their colleagues, to changing some aspect of their behaviour. They can also send themselves a postcard, which we post to them two weeks later, to remind them of their commitment.

It just seems to make the commitment stick better.