Everyone grows up with the idea of falling in love. We all want a taste of that magic. Love is an idea we place on the Mount Everest of pedestals. Yet we throw it at each other in desperation, hoping that someone will catch it and hold onto it.
To most, Love is valuable and sacred. At least that is what it is to older generations. Now it has become an obsession and possessive thing. People love the idea of love more than actually loving.
We want the perfect partner in crime. We seek somebody who will pick us up when we are down, take us to carnivals and kiss us on the top of the Ferris wheel for that Instagram opportunity, someone to take us on adventures and initiate tickle fights. Someone who will snuggle in bed with you on rainy days and watch movies or cook your dinner. Someone who will take care of you when you’re under the weather or shows you off to the world and their friends.
Those who crave it so deeply perhaps don’t truly understand the meaning of love. We trick ourselves into thinking that we would do anything for someone, when in reality we will do anything so they won’t leave us. It’s not because we “love” them, more so than the fact that we love the feeling we have when they are around.
They make us smile. Maybe they buy us gifts or do cute little things to show that they care. Maybe they are the one who wants to spend every waking second with you. These things are just the beginning. They act as the bump you have to get over to progress into the relationship right before you trip and fall even further into “love”.
What people fail to realize sometimes is that those things are not what love is, but rather just the perks of having someone you care about in your life. We settle for these things rather than force ourselves to explore what love really means and this is the problem among future generations. This is why love continues to not be present in relationships. Thus, why so many fail.
It has become a trend to have open relationships or, as some would say, casual hookups rather than trying to actually love each other. We place the meaning of love in the actions that we seek to enjoy when we can easily channel our actions into actively loving somebody. Cherishing the moments, we have with them. Staying by their side in good times as well as the bad and loving them through every second.
We love to think that love is only about the good moments of a relationship. However, it’s just as much about the bad. Without the bad parts you wouldn’t grow together or know how to appreciate the good things you have.