Disclaimer: Before delving into this article that aims to critique and warp the perceptions of relationships as they are in the current day, please understand a few things about me. I have never been in a relationship in my entire twenty years of existence. While I may give some advice here and there, it should be taken with a grain of salt as I have absolutely zero experience in this department. It should also be noted that love and affection dodge me like I was an unholy combination of the bubonic plague, the zika virus, and the infamous trench foot that plagued soldiers in World War I. Now that we’ve got that out of way, it’s time to start the article. Enjoy.

Ah, relationships. Who doesn’t love that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you’re around that one person that makes life worth living? That individual that lights up your world, makes your heart skip a beat and turns you into an all-around better person. I doubt there’s a single beauty in the world that can top that of relationships. That being said, it does seem like relationships are going down in value. Granted, I don't know how each person acts and reacts, but it just seems like people are more focused on sex and having a relationship out of necessity rather than a want to be with someone. Thus, I would like to give my opinion on how relationships should be. Once again, please keep in mind that I have no experience in dating and really shouldn't even be putting in my two cents. But I needed a topic this week and this is what turned up.

Personally, I think relationships should grow out of friendships. People shouldn't be dating a week or two after just meeting. You need time to get to know a person. See what they like and what you two have in common. Putting labels on each other early on suggests too much too soon. How can you expect someone to be committed to you when they barely know you? Not to mention that there are things that you need to know about a person that you might not be able to find out when referring to them as “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”. When you're serious about someone, you tend to hide who you really are for a good period of time. You look cleaner, work harder, scratch yourself less and fart never. Now this might sound weird, but I don't want the person I really like to keep any part of themselves secret from me. But if we have been friends for a certain amount of time, then I already know how lazy you are, how bad your flatulence smells, and whether or not you've killed someone (okay, maybe we won't be that close, but you get my point). Bottom line, I want to be comfortable enough with somebody to be my honest self and vice versa.

I also believe that people should be in relationships because they want to be. Some people get in and out of relationships so often that it becomes more of a habit. Instead of trying to find somebody special, they start to seek someone for the moment. Trading out partners like seasonal dress-ware. I think that it could do people like this some good to just be alone for a certain period of time. Every now and then, we need to take out some time to figure out who we are by ourselves (in my case, it seems like I need a whole two plus decades to figure out who the hell I am, but that's neither here nor there). Once we figure that out, we'll be in a better position to enhance the life of someone else.

Finally, I want to touch on the sexual aspect of relationships (all children should skip to the conclusion). Now, I understand that in this day and age, sex is often used in the place of having an actual connection with someone. Something of which is perfectly fine. If you just want to have a one night stand with someone, that is completely up to you. However, I believe that we should try to get to know people before jumping straight to the bedroom. I don't know about you, but I need to trust a person before sleeping with them. Being comfortable with someone is more important to me than a couple of minutes of fun.

These are just my views on relationships. I could be asking for a little too much and might die before finding my ideal relationship structure, but that's my choice. And just to reiterate, I have no experience in relationships. So take this as crazy ramblings of a young man and return to your usual dealings.

Thanks for reading.