Dating has its ups and downs for everyone, no matter what generation they were born in, but there are some things that are unique to those of us dating right now that have got to change.

First of all, dating apps. Now, I personally don't have a problem with dating apps, per se, but what I do have a problem with is them being abused and used for things other than what they were intended to be used for, specifically hookups and one-night-stands. The whole original point of Tinder or Bumble were to bring people, that were unlikely to meet organically, together and hopefully something good will come out of it! But now Tinder is a big part of today's hookup culture, and I am not here for it. When did it go out of style for people to want to go on dates? To spend time together? To look for a real relationship instead of a person you can hit up on Snapchat whenever you get bored or horny?

And yeah, it's easy to say to someone who dates almost exclusively people they meet online, "Just get off those apps and look around you, there are plenty of single people at your school/work/city/etc. who you could date!"

And to that, I say, "IT'S NOT THAT EASY!"

The problem isn't the dating apps, the problem is that no one wants a relationship or anything serious, and half of the people say that they are afraid of commitment and will reject you the second they see signs of things going somewhere other than being a casual mutual crush. And I speak from far too much experience.

Why is this though? Why is this generation so afraid to commit? To say yes to something that has the potential to be great, or to take a romantic risk? Isn't our generation the one of "YOLO"? (bad pop-culture reference, sorry not sorry) Why is the only thing we are scared of is a relationship?

Now, I could pull up statistics that would show that the parents of this generation are the ones with one of the highest divorce rates EVER, and yeah, that might make sense for some of us, but that still doesn't explain the mass societal idea of hookup culture.

Here's my take on it: I think that there isn't an answer to the question, "Why are we so afraid?" I think that's the problem itself. The thing that is wrong with dating is that we are afraid, and if we wanna fix that problem, we have to stop being so scared of what could or could not happen if we dared to enter a relationship and just be open to it. I know that might sound stupid or impossible, but that's really the only solution. Just go for it, whether it's with that cute girl from your psych class or the guy who you gave you his number at work. Take the risk!

And if it doesn't work out, you won't have to spend the next few weeks thinking, "What would have happened if I had just said yes?" And if it does work out, congrats! You conquered your fear and are that much happier for it!