We come from a torn generation, stuck somewhere between having too much connection, or not enough. We all have our moments of getting lost on Facebook and Twitter, all the while, dreaming of something more. This need to be plugged in, while craving more meaningful relationships, leaves many of us feeling left by the wayside. However, my experiences of being a hopeless romantic have taught me a lot about our generation.
I think it’s important we face a hard truth to understand ourselves - we are far too absorbed in our technology. I know, you’ve heard it about a million times before. However, I really want you to think about how often you interact with media on something as minuscule as an hourly basis. The results of that thought may be surprising to you.
Why do we need to be so connected? Simply, it’s easier for us to remain plugged into groups that understand us immediately, rather than trying to reach out to others who may be different from us. It’s infinitely more easy to hide behind a screen and initiate perfectly executed dialogue with somebody, than it is to say, “Hi. What’s your name?” We are afraid to be awkward. We are afraid to cross boundaries and take leaps in social circles. We come from a generation that desires to be accepted, and this may be where our trouble lies.
The best way to be accepted is to remain connected. If you don’t know what everybody else is talking about and what’s trending, you will be left behind. It’s a full-time job keeping up with the latest meme or hottest trend. We are social creatures and if we can’t communicate with others, we will feel lost and excluded. This fear is enough to keep us going back to our technology for more.
The fact that we are afraid to put our phones down, but become exhausted from the effort that it takes to stay on top of things is where many of us seem to fall. We become so used to communicating through emojis, we forget to truly express ourselves in the outer world as well. This loss of meaningful connection is what our generation misses.
For our generation, it’s hard to be a hopeless romantic. It’s hard to want to express yourself, but don’t know how. It’s difficult to be awkward. It’s difficult to be in love with everything at once, without being able to experience it with someone else. Not share it - experience it. We crave simplicity. We tire of being in constant contact. We want more than anything, a deep and soulful sense of oneness with the world.
I promise, there are others out there just like you. There are others that are in love with the stars, and think about the depth of the oceans, and contemplate the existence of life itself; you just have to go out and find them. Be in love with everything at once, and find someone to experience it with. Please, my romantics, feel it all. More than anything, though, don’t be afraid to put down the phone and say, “Hello.”
