The formal practice of dating has, in my eyes, come to a complete halt. We live in a fast-paced world where sex, rather than a real, emotional connection, is the determining factor for choosing a partner. Not only that but when people are dating, the spark and the intimacy are replaced with phone screens and conversations with only half the effort being put into them. The people who once brought flowers to your doorstep to pick you up for a date are now honking their horns and waiting in the car while you rush to get ready.

Let us first take stock of the notorious friends-with-benefits status. Are you friends? Yes. Do you intend to date each other? Absolutely not. Will one of you end up having feelings for the other person which will end up ruining your entire relationship? Most likely. To each his or her own, but when did we lose so much self-respect? What is the point of letting another person know your body on such an intimate level if you have no intention of taking things further? The entire concept is terrible, from beginning to end. Have you so little respect for this friend of yours that you would rather spend the evening in bed instead of doing actual friendly things together? I have never heard of a love story beginning with the phrase, “We met, became friends with benefits, and the rest is history."

Next: the dating game as a whole. Gone are the days of movie-and-dinner dates and here is the new era of texting nonstop, then calling it a go. OK, dates may get a bit pricey depending on where you live, but can you really get to know a real person just by texting them all day every day? You might as well just remain friends if you have no intention of only seeing each other in class or at Harris Teeter by chance. And when individuals do have the nerve to go on dates together, they are on their phones the entire time! This may not be your future spouse with you at the dinner table, but they deserve your full attention. What is the point of stepping out of the house together if you do not even intend to make eye contact for the next hour or two?

I am a helpless romantic; I will admit that. I do not want to raise my children in a world where asking someone out to dinner is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I do not think it’s fair for people to not take things such as dating seriously anymore. I know there are birds and then there are bees, but all of us birds are living in a bee world, and a cheap one at that. Heck, if you "Netflix and chill" with a person, they probably aren’t even the ones paying for that account. All I’m saying is, finding that magical fairytale love is going to be way harder than I imagined.