Why are young people so obsessed with the idea of being in love? This is something I've had trouble understanding for the past year since being in college and seeing how love-crazy so many people seem to be. Just about every time I get on Facebook, I see a new couple that has decided to let everyone know they're dating or even getting married. Now, while I'm someone who couldn't care less about how people choose to live their lives, as long as no harm is being done, I can't seem to understand why anyone would choose to spend their youth (late teens and early twenties) dealing with this complex emotion we call love.
My first concern with young love is the limitations involved with it. This time in a person's life is just the beginning. I, for example, am meeting new and interesting people all of the time, and I've only just finished my first year of college. I have so much that I still plan to do in just the next couple of years that I can't even imagine all of the people I'm going to meet along the way. I would hate to limit myself to the few people I know now, when my life is just at its beginning.
Another reason why I don't understand young love is that young people are constantly changing. And while we will probably be in a constant state of change, and hopefully improvement, for the rest of our lives, I believe that this portion of our lives will contain the most drastic amount of change in every aspect of ourselves. This is the time when we are constantly learning about who we are, who we want to be, what we like, what we believe, etc. I don't see the point in being in a relationship when both people involved are at the age of discovering themselves and will most likely not be the same people five years from now. I would hate for someone to have to marry 2015 me, as I have learned so much about myself since then and therefore have changed.
Now, someone might think these points only apply to people who get married young, since dating isn't as permanent as marriage is meant to be. But the problem I have with dating at a young age is the amount of time so many people waste doing it. I've known people who have dated countless people since their freshmen year of high school and haven't spent even a month of that time single. For the most part, these people have few to no friends not too long after they start this endless cycle of dating. This isn't because they aren't pleasant to be around, but because they begin neglecting the friends they used to have and don't have enough time to go out and make new ones, hence their constant need to be dating someone so they don't feel lonely.
Now, I also know people who have been dating the same person since freshman year of high school and have what seems to be, and may very well actually be, a great relationship that will probably lead into marriage. What I don't understand about this type of relationship at this age is, why date? What's wrong with keeping the relationship to good/best friends for a while till you're both a little older and mature? I just feel like all that time so many young people spend dating could have better uses, such as building strong friendships, concentrating on studying or preparing for a career, traveling, having experiences and making memories as a single person. When two people get married, the idea is that they will be with each other for the rest of their lives. If both people take care of themselves, that could easily be a long time. Why the rush?
Call me crazy, but I would much rather be an adult who has enjoyed their youth, had time to work on myself and figure out who I am and has a career that keeps me financially stable, dating an adult who has done the same. But this is just my preference, and these are all just my opinions, so take them as such. If anyone reading this has an opinion that differs from mine, feel free to leave a comment letting me know, as I'm aware that, as a young person, I have a lot to learn about this subject.
