A corporate leader in India recently made headlines by suggesting his employees should work a 90-hour week, quipping, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife, how long can the wife stare at her husband?”

His remarks sparked quite the reaction, with some couples posting photos of themselves “staring” at their spouses and dubbing Sunday as “#stareday”.

While the executive’s comments were meant to promote productivity, they inadvertently highlighted something profound about marriage: the immeasurable value of simply being present with our spouse.

As marriage educators, we often hear