I'm not sure what bug has infected my generation and dating, but we need to find a cure soon. The generation in their 20s currently has an image of love and dating in their minds that are unattainable. We strive for a perfection that isn't there and reach for the high that cannot be reached. I don't know about you, but when I am talking to someone it seems to me that they only hear the things that they want to hear and they push everything else I have said on the back burner. Why is this so? I am sure I have been guilty of this at some point in time, but why do we do it? Why do we only hear the things we want to hear or see the things we want to see? Let's look into it a little further...

We hear what we want to hear

I blame romantic movies for this one. We hear all these lovely words that are completely false on the daily that would never happen in real life, yet we strive for them to actually happen. We are manipulating what the other person is saying and making it something completely untrue just for our own benefit. If we would actually take the time to slow down and listen to what someone has to say and analyze it a little bit, we wouldn't be so quick to pick out only the things we want to hear.

We see what we want to see

I 100 percent blame social media for this. Everywhere you look on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are unrealistic "couple goals" that would be completely ridiculous if they were to happen in any normal world. We see things on these platforms that we think are attainable, but I'll be the first one to break it to you, they're not. They are unrealistic, outrageous, and foolish. Whatever happened to a simple movie night or even a conversation? There are all of these elaborate "date night" ideas out there that are bigger than some weddings!! Crazy!

We think what we want to think

Now I can't blame anything for this one. We are all going to have our own opinion on certain things and how dating should be done. But when two heads come together and think the opposite of one another, it just doesn't work. One person is in a fairy tale land and the other is back down on Earth thinking realistically. It is great to have an imagination, but an imagination won't keep a relationship alive forever. Communication and having your minds on the same track will.

Next time you are on a social media platform and you see one of these elaborate ideas that are unrealistic, think to yourself, would my significant other really want to do that? I believe in thinking about others and putting them first before anything. If you can't do that in a relationship, then what do you have? Listen to one another and really hear them out. You never know what you may be missing out on.