Has today’s generation ruined old love?

What is old love? It’s a term that today’s generation seems to have forgotten. Old love is defined by Google as a deep, long-lasting bond built over time. As I look around at my peers and their relationships, I don’t see a lot of old love. Has this generation forgotten the depth of love? This isn’t to say there aren’t people who live old love daily, but it’s starting to become extinct.

Coming from a male perspective, one should chase after the love of someone they desire and want to be with. A true love story is when one has the confidence to be bold and make a decision that would change their life. As Dr. Mark Sloan states in the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy,” “When you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it, you say it loud, and you go from there.” Love is not easy and it will never be easy, but the point that Sloan is making is that love is something that is so pure that it needs to be handled with care. In today’s world, love is a word that we as a generation throw around like it’s another everyday word. I love my sports teams, as does any sports fan, but that kind of love isn’t at all similar to the love of another human. Love is a fight and only the strong remain standing.

I’ve had my own struggles with what a romantic relationship is. What am I looking for that can last longer than just a little bit of fun and can last through tough times? As someone who has been single for nearly my entire life, watching others get into relationships is hard, especially close friends. However, the relationships I see people get into today are not about the cute moments. It’s not flowers when you’re picking up your date or stealing one last kiss on the front porch before curfew. People today are always looking to better their image on social media or even in their everyday lives. Being in a relationship isn’t something that is special anymore. It’s become something that everyone must be a part of and if you are not, then society makes fun of you. For those of us still single, waiting for the love we deserve to walk into our lives, be patient. One day we’ll look back and the waiting will be a remembrance of the perfect life we have. It’s painful, but it’s worth it.

Is someone who doesn’t find their soulmate in college falling behind? No. The example I point to is the show “Friends.” When the show begins, each of the main characters is in their mid-20s and after 10 seasons (10 years), they are finally moving forward with their lives. By the end of the show, they are in their mid-30s. Monica and Chandler are moving out of their New York City apartment and into a countryside house, while Joey remains single. Rachel and Ross are not together as a couple but they have Emma, their daughter, who's only two years old. Phoebe and Mike have gotten married but have no kids. The point being, there is no rush to find your forever person in college. As much as I would like to, life is super busy in college and it’s the first time we are all finding our way as independent adults. You are not alone in the fear of what comes after college in the dating world if you are still single come graduation time.

So might this generation be messing up when it comes to dating? Sure. However, we will all make mistakes and those mistakes help us to learn and better ourselves. My advice is to live your life; that’s it. Forget about needing to be somewhere you aren’t yet. As Arthur in the film “Passengers” states, “You’re not where you want to be. You feel like you’re supposed to be somewhere else.” If others are where you aren’t, that’s ok. I need the reminder just as much as you, the reader, do. Wherever you are in your dating life, live every moment and cherish it. As Ferris Bueller says, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”