Boy meets girl.
Girl meets boy.
Boy and girl label themselves as "talking."
Girl and boy become strangers.
That right there is the unfortunate truth of our generation's idea of dating. A new step has emerged in society and it is called, "talking." However, the issue with talking is that you do everything that you would do when you're actually dating and in a committed relationship. That part is the tricky part because honestly, it's just an endless and sick cycle of somebody's, stopping in your life to treat you well and then leave you like you were a nobody to them.
We meet someone, pick a part their true character, pretend we care for a while, and then do a 180 on them and bam... They're back to being a stranger to us. We look at them as if they never told us about what they're afraid of and what demons they have lurking in their minds at night when they can't sleep. We treat them as if we never looked at them and thought, "Damn I really like this person." Instead, we disregard them like they never mattered in our lives one bit.
We are conditioned in our society to believe that the norm is to lack attachment to anyone we find special or like. When someone on the other end shows that they have real feelings and that they are truly all about the other person, then it is simply goodbye to them because we are so used to believing society's bullshit. We have an endless list of people we could point at and say, "Oh we used to talk."
Used to talk as in learned every possible thing about each other...
Used to talk as in shared amazing memories together...
When a rare individual comes along to ask us on a real live date and we tell our friends about it, the response is almost always, "What, a real date?" That is said because it is so rare. A fine and classy evening almost never exists, instead making plans to binge watch the infamous Netflix does. We all know what comes after Netflix...
Where did pacing ourselves and talking face to face go wrong exactly? We have decided that instead of being with one person at a time, we just pick and choose who we want while stringing along all of the others. Millennials aren't looking for that passionate and lasting relationship that our parents and grandparents have before us. Millennials always try to live in the moment, instead of making the moment last and indulging in the bliss.
I crave the idea of real dating again. The kind of dating where a first kiss doesn't exist until the 3rd or 4th time you've spent time with that person. The kind of dating that we hear from our parents and grandparents, where simply going out to eat brought so many butterflies to their stomachs. The dating, or should I say "talking," world of today is so unappealing and if you have made it past that "talking" stage, then just know that you are lucky. In fact... You both are and I hope your relationship is passionate and long lasting.
Maybe someday our generation will realize what we're missing out on. I know I have that thought all of the time. This is to the people who go out of their way only to get disappointed and thrown away like garbage- I understand. To the ones searching for some kind of passion and to make insanely amazing memories- I feel you. It's pretty much better to stay single so you don't get your feelings hurt by a temporary somebody.
When it comes to finding someone and having society's standards go against you, I urge you not to give up. There are still some of us out there who believe in the extinct case of real, committed, dating passion.
But until our generation realizes what they're missing out on, I'll just stick to loving my cat.