Prolong and relationships

Loren Pechtel wrote:
Good point. In a prolong universe I would expect advanced degrees to be the norm. He got it right in The Apocalypse Troll (Ludmilla has multiple advanced degrees despite being a fighter jock) but while we see little of the educational system in the Honorverse it doesn't seem to go this way.

The US military pretty much requires a masters for promotion to either O5 or 6, and generals almost always have a PhD.

The implication from Honor and Hamish is Manticoran marriage is more contractual based than our marriages are, and that the government tends to keep out of the way except as would be normal for any contract.

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I cannot recall which book it is discussed in (someone with the e-books can probably scan for it relatively quickly), but there is an in-depth discussion of how prolong effected marriages.

What it came down to, roughly, was that in Manticorian society, marriage was firmly something of the church's business. The contract law part of it (heirs, debts, taxes, etc) was taken care of by the government. But the government stayed firmly out of marriage's social and religious sides. It was noted in the discussion that every type of marriage was being tried out on different planets all over the galaxy, with the upshot being that Manticore considers there to be no 'one true way' for marriage. Be married forever, divorce, limited marriage...whatever.

Back to prolong, the discussion pointed out that people could be married once, or many times. There was no stigma attached. The only frowned upon things, like Honor's affair with Hamish, was the insult to Emily. And the loss of honor for all involved.

Personally, my suspicion at least in Manticoring space -- is that the Prolong process would probably improve relationships immensely, given that it slows the physical maturation process during those dang teenage years, but not the mental maturation. Which -- by implication -- would actually allow the brain to get ahead of the hormones, rather than being driven by them.

Which would make the Pavel Youngs of the Honorverse, and those corrupted by Manpower Inc. more of an aberration than a normality. Let's face it, for those of us who have been in a good relationship, "steak at home" beats hamburger on the road every time. Being young for a couple centuries wouldn't change that. Yes, single dad now -- but that doesn't mean I wouldn't treasure many more years with a good Someone I haven't met yet.

Personally though, I'd love to raise kids for a couple hundred years. Bet I'd get pretty good at it, even if it was only a small family at a time's worth. Give me a freighter or two/three like we've thought about many times, and I'd have a great time in the galaxy at large.

SharkHunter wrote:Personally though, I'd love to raise kids for a couple hundred years. Bet I'd get pretty good at it, even if it was only a small family at a time's worth. Give me a freighter or two/three like we've thought about many times, and I'd have a great time in the galaxy at large.

Which brings up a question. Since prolong extends the childbearing years, would it lead to overpopulation? Or are Honor's parents the norm, waiting longer to have another child? Would more agrarian planets wind up with large families to help work the land? And what is the Second Reformation Catholic Church's position on birth control?

SharkHunter wrote:Personally, my suspicion at least in Manticoring space -- is that the Prolong process would probably improve relationships immensely, given that it slows the physical maturation process during those dang teenage years, but not the mental maturation. Which -- by implication -- would actually allow the brain to get ahead of the hormones, rather than being driven by them.

Which would make the Pavel Youngs of the Honorverse, and those corrupted by Manpower Inc. more of an aberration than a normality. Let's face it, for those of us who have been in a good relationship, "steak at home" beats hamburger on the road every time. Being young for a couple centuries wouldn't change that. Yes, single dad now -- but that doesn't mean I wouldn't treasure many more years with a good Someone I haven't met yet.

Personally though, I'd love to raise kids for a couple hundred years. Bet I'd get pretty good at it, even if it was only a small family at a time's worth. Give me a freighter or two/three like we've thought about many times, and I'd have a great time in the galaxy at large.

Are you proposing a tricked-out freighter utilized as a home business/mobile home? If so, that's the coolest thing I've heard on the forum in a while. Of course, it'd help if you had some naval skills and your freighter is actually a Q-ship and you have a dozen kids all well trained. LOL

Probably indicative of a very eclectic sample of some families in the Honorverse.

Reminds me of this...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology- ... NlYwNzcg--

--snipping--

SharkHunter wrote: Personally though, I'd love to raise kids for a couple hundred years. Bet I'd get pretty good at it, even if it was only a small family at a time's worth. Give me a freighter or two/three like we've thought about many times, and I'd have a great time in the galaxy at large.

cthia wrote:Are you proposing a tricked-out freighter utilized as a home business/mobile home? If so, that's the coolest thing I've heard on the forum in a while. Of course, it'd help if you had some naval skills and your freighter is actually a Q-ship and you have a dozen kids all well trained. LOL

Probably indicative of a very eclectic sample of some families in the Honorverse.

Reminds me of this...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology- ... NlYwNzcg--

Motor home analogy is pretty good!h. A Pirate's Bane if you will, start with a trained crew, bring in a number of foster kids/orphans along the way until they're the crew, few biologically based kids at a time in the family. Set'emup with their own edu-ma-cations or businesses if they want or they can stay aboard and help the old geezer fly the boat(s).

Though I think I'd aim less traveling motorhome and more like a traveling classroom with the galaxy as the schoolbook. USO tour and Doctors Without Borders types ride for free.

dscott8 wrote:Which brings up a question. Since prolong extends the childbearing years, would it lead to overpopulation?

Very few systems outside the deep core are very densely populated. And the human-occupied part of the galaxy is still very small in the Honorverse. Overpopulation is a non-issue.

drothgery wrote:

dscott8 wrote:Which brings up a question. Since prolong extends the childbearing years, would it lead to overpopulation?

Very few systems outside the deep core are very densely populated. And the human-occupied part of the galaxy is still very small in the Honorverse. Overpopulation is a non-issue.

Not in a war ravaged zone like the Haven sector. I hear it's hard to hail a cab on Manticore because Bupers has been recruiting from every walk of life. Sentencing them to Saganami. Channeling them through the Crusher. Assigning them to ships commanded by assholes and wholeasses and amassing an unpaid astronomical butcher's bill.

Life expectancy in the Honorverse is 2 battles and a skirmish.

A criminal's relationship with the justice system might have to change. Life + 100 years still might eventually set him free.

Or even two consecutive life sentences. Seeing that 100 years is considered to be life.