My earliest childhood memories can be remembered hearing countless stories from my parents about how they grew up and how they fell in love. These stories always bring me back to a time where things just seemed so simple, so effortless. Yes, of course hard work and commitment were still major parts of relationships back then, as they are today. But we didn’t have the influences of technology and the lack of respect that we have to deal with nowadays between men and women in the dating world.

What I've noticed, especially as a college student, is how our society has turned from dating into “meaningless hook-ups.” It seems as if everywhere I turn someone is telling me how great it is to not care about someone and just use them to get what they want. Apps such as Tinder and Bumble are also contributing to today’s hook-up society, by making it so accessible for any male or female to find someone who they know nothing about and have no emotional connection to, and meet up for a casual fling. I’m not saying that these things are horrible, but from what I can tell, they’re not doing much good.

The problem with this generation is that we aren’t truly getting to know people. We’re not finding out their biggest fears, or their hopes and dreams for the future, but we’re only getting to know others for their physical aspects. As much fun as it may be, we all know that late at night, deep down, we aren’t thinking about casual hook-ups. We do want someone to share things with, someone to be there for us no matter what. The issue is, we can’t really attain the kind of relationships we’re looking for by doing the things we’re doing, and by allowing the hookup culture to keep growing and thriving as it is now.

I have learned a lot from my parents — not only have they taught me how to tie my shoes and dress myself, but they have also taught me right from wrong. And when I say right from wrong, I’m especially speaking of dating. Many of the dating practices of today’s day do not add up with the ones 30 years ago, and a lot of this has to do with a lack of respect. My parents always love to make boys come to the door when picking me up, and shake their hands. As much as this bothers me and makes me uncomfortable, I’ve realized how important it actually is to go through this silly practice. This shows respect. It shows that they care enough to park the car, walk to your door and face potentially intimidating parents, all for you.

As much as I’d love to praise our generation and its ways, it’s really hard to. We’ve started to create a monster that is spiraling out of control. Almost every person you speak to these days has some sort of commitment issue or fear of catching feelings for others, so they would rather stick to emotionless hook-ups. The only way we can change this, is by respecting ourselves and being upfront about what we’re looking for. Tell it like it is. Do not be afraid that they will run the other way once you utter the word “relationship," because if they do you know that this is not the person you should be investing all of your time and effort into anyway.