Love Never Fails
There are many elements in the world that connect us on deeper level such as music, food, and laughter. Within all those factors we enjoy, they have one element, a word if you will, in common: Love.
Love, by definition, means a strong feeling of deep affection. That feeling is all around the world. It rests in faith, friendships, and families. But most of all, love is in those special connections that links two people into romantic unison. That oneness is what everyone knows as a relationship.
Relationships, in the scope of love, are much like plants enduring nature’s seasons. They’re fresh and green in the beginning. Its lush potential reaches to the sky hoping to expand and flourish.
Mike L., once a college student, entered the university just like any other guy with ambitions to finish his major, and of course, meet women. In the midst of his college adventure, Mike met Teresa H., a vibrant young woman pursuing the same goal with different perspective on how to meet Mr. Right.
Their initial meeting didn’t instantly guarantee love, but they maintained their connection through friendship which turned to courtship. As their hearts grew closer, they grew into a relationship. They spent the next few years in their relationship, and after they graduated college, they took the next step in their relationship and got married.
However, some relationships bloom in a more electronic way. The rise of the digital age has made it possible for people to connect through the internet. Social media sites and smartphone apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat captures the essence of an individual. Although some of those still images or 20 second vignettes are unique, and bizarre at times, many people have found that certain someone through cyber connectivity.
Tradition has taught society to go out and meet someone, and those who stick to tradition may see cyber dating as less personal.
“I disagree,” Lindsey P. stated. “I used to believe that as well until I met my boyfriend on Tinder.”
Tinder is a dating smartphone app where individuals can connect with potential significant others. Despite popular belief that Tinder is casual, Lindsey says that digital connection is just as good as meeting in person.
“It’s just different from what people are accustomed to, so I believe the bias around online dating is unfair.”
Many people across the world today, like Lindsey, have found their significant other. According to a research study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 44 percent of Americans agreed that online dating is good way to meet people in 2005. That percentage has since increased, and the Pew Research Center found that as of 2015, 59 percent of Americans agree that online dating is good for meeting new people.
Love, in any form, is still love. Whether it be online or at the grocery store, a person can make a romantic connection just the same. The only thing that’s changed is the atmosphere.
But love isn’t a bean one can grow quickly or an instant message, it’s a flower waiting to bloom. It may take several seasons of rain, sun, and cold for it to mature, but when it does, it’s a graceful, sweet scent that would sustain a person for a lifetime.
- a the word changes contributor