Dale Asberry on the importancy of loose coupling - Why is Distributed so Hard?:

"In some ways, marriage vows do a disservice to the richer subtleties in intimate human interaction. Namely, two people don't come together to become one, they come together to become three! There will always be the self and the other. The third ingredient is the relationship itself. Unless the relationship is tended to by both people, it won't work. The most successful couples:

* address expectations through rituals (protocols) and communication * adjust to the situation * are forgiving of transgressions * interdependent, neither independent nor dependent"