Dating is a complex concept to define. What does dating mean? Originally, dating took on a more general term. If you were dating, you were going on dates. There was no implication of being "exclusive" to one person or being boyfriend and girlfriend. In fact, if you watch shows like "Friends" you see the conversations of "Are we exclusive now?" as major turning points in the relationships. Now, the term "dating" has been replaced with the even more ambiguous term "talking." What does talking mean? Flirting? Texting? Thinking about going out? Hooking-up with? Can you talk to more than one person at a time?

I recently read an article that claimed that as a generation, we shun commitment. Truthfully, I think it is completely opposite. There seems to be this emphasis on commitment — "quick! Find your forever partner before it's too late!" There seems to be a lot less dating and more of the inaccurate definition of "dating." College, while it seems like the perfect opportunity to broaden your horizons in the realm of relationships, ends up being an extensive search for your "soul-mate." It's not a negative thing to want to find your forever partner in college. In fact, it's where a lot of young, married couples meet. The problem is that this desire for long-term companionship and the idea that dating has to be exclusive severely limits your ability to determine who is truly best for you.

According to the American Psychological Association, 40-50 percent of married Americans get divorced. I think this data is indicative of a larger problem in not only our generation but the generation before ours. It seems that by altering the meaning of "dating," we have come to a place where our search for our forever partner is limited by our understanding of the concept of dating. We are so caught up in being with one person, only going on dates with one person that we end up forcing ourselves to be happy in long-term relationships for the sake of convention.

So what do I mean by this? First, "talking" and "dating" are not the same. As I said before, dating is a time to get to know each other as two single people looking for a partner. It does not imply exclusivity. It does not imply a labeled relationship. Dating is a structured way to get to know one another in an intimate way. You don't have to call back. You don't have to go out again. You don't have to go through the emotional stress of trying to be with someone who doesn't compliment your personality just because you've been on a few dates with them.

What's next you ask? You've been on a couple dates and things are going really well. You haven't had the "are we exclusive?" talk yet, but you want to. And guess what? This doesn't have to mean you are boyfriend/girlfriend/partners. It is simply saying that you both have decided not to go on dates with anyone else because you are dedicated to getting to know each other better.

Lastly, in the realm of dating that is, there comes the time to pop the question — "Will you be my boyfriend/girlfriend?" This is where commitment comes into play. After going on dates with your not-yet-partner and other people, weeding it down to the person you like the most, and having the exclusivity talk, you can make the choice to fully commit and ask them to be the other half of your relationship-label.

I know this seems strange. Writing it felt strange. How can I date more than one person at a time? Isn't that cheating? Doesn't that make me a flirt? The answer is no. Because if you understand dating as what it is literally — going on dates — it is not a form of commitment. It is simply an exploration of your relationship likes and dislikes and the first step in finding a forever-partner. In the end, I think this caution to dive head first into commitment will benefit the relationships of our generation and those after us.