Hey all, looking for advice on this topic. It’s been a year and a half since my divorce was finalized. My ex wrecked me in the process (everything from false accusations, DVOs, limits on being able to interact with our kids - one of whom was a newborn at the time), all out of spite. Fortunately I still came away with 50/50 custody; kids are much better off now, and she’s currently in an LTR with some poor sap (I’ve seen his most recent FB profile pic - you can practically watch the light leave his eyes in real time over the course of the last several months). As for me, I’ve been working on myself and my career and being the best dad to my kids that I possibly can be. Dating options aren’t exactly many here, but I’m trying to stay open to the idea of another relationship.

The challenge I keep running into is how to possibly trust another person that intimately again, after what my ex did to me. Even as a religious man with traditional views on relationships and marriage - going through the divorce grinder personally has opened my eyes in ways I never thought possible on the stage of relationships today, and I find myself torn between old-world fantasies on how relationships could be, and the reality of how fickle and transient they are today.

My question is this: for those of you who have since remarried - how did you learn to trust another woman again? Or is the trust you have now different from what you had before? Do you recommend remarriage, or remaining single and just dating?

(As a side note: I’ve spent the last year and a half also consuming a ton of Red Pill content like the Rational Male Series and Richard Cooper’s book, among others. It’s helped me understand the flaws in my previous mindset and understand my ex-wife’s nature better, in addition to helping me avoid those same red flags altogether. However, as those of you who have read those books will understand, they’re not exactly big on marriage - perhaps understandably so. It puts me in a state of tension between the good dream and the cynical reality, if that makes any sense. How have you overcome this yourselves and creating lasting, fulfilling relationships post-divorce?)

Appreciate the insight.