My generation sucks. While I wish I could say that I mean this in the nicest way possible, I can’t because I don’t. We are incredibly arrogant and astoundingly stupid when it comes to relationships, whether romantic or platonic. Everyone is so unwilling to love another person because we’re too afraid of getting our inexperienced hearts broken or we’re scared that our friends are going to make fun of us. In my opinion, this is one of the most screwed up things about this generation.

Why are we so afraid of heartbreak? I seriously do not get it. As teenagers, there are so many things that we should experience and I definitely think that heartbreak is one of those things. You learn so much about yourself when you have learn how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do whatever it takes to prevent yourself from bursting into tears while taking a math test. Heartbreak is just that, it’s a feeling that you can’t really describe but you know there’s something definite about it that lets you know exactly what it is. It obviously isn’t going to be a pleasant experience but it’s still one that everyone should have. Yeah, of course it really sucks but I can't really be the only person that would rather hurt than feel nothing. If we go through our entire lives participating in relationships that aren’t meaningful and don’t willingly give others the opportunity to crush our entire world, is there even a point in getting involved at all? Minor obligatory relationships are a joke. Like come on, go big or go home.

Disclaimer: This next paragraph is directed more towards young men than women. With that being said, ladies, I still need you to also read it and understand that we most definitely can fall victim to the posting of senseless commentary.

Too many times have I been scrolling through social media and seen a really sweet, heart-warming post about a girl, only to then skim the comments to find rude things said by the “friends” of the person who made the post. If your friend is posting about a certain person, they obviously care for them. How dare you try to take that away from them, in any way. Is it really a crime to put yourself out there and actually let someone know that you can be vulnerable? I know it might sound cheesy and I definitely can’t say it as poetically as Nicholas Sparks probably would, but I have this radical idea that if one of your bros is happy with someone, maybe, just maybe you could just be happy that they’re happy. Crazy, I know.

While I realize that relationships are not easy, I would just like to point out that roughly 100% of life somehow involves some kind of relationship, in one way or another. This is part of the reason that our grandparents get so upset when we choose to tweet instead of striking up a conversation with them. This is why so many people struggle with daily communication. It’s because we care too much about looking cool or are too wimpy to put ourselves out there. Meaningful relationships are so rewarding, who cares if you end up getting hurt, there’s no reason to let that keep you from making great memories while you can. Seriously, dig deeper. Stop worrying about other peoples’ opinions of the relationships that you’re creating for yourself, at least you’re doing something! Have those late-night-parked-car conversations. Introduce yourself to the cute guy across the room. Discuss controversial topics. Learn about one another. It will pay off and you will thank yourself for it. I promise.