This reminds me of something i read in Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" about the "Zeitgeist" of the particular age you find yourself born into...however, i think the "sane" thing to do here would be to conform, since non-conformism doesn't even carry with it the benefit of having the technology -- or even the knowledge -- to save your wife which, in this century, certainly is the case. I see what evand below says about:

[the behaviour] is also done to gain the societal safe harbor protection

but this is only valid in a world where you absolutely can not get any better. i certainly get the sense of "existential despair" this brings.