I think the world has very different perceptions of what love is. It can be very warped at times, and however you perceive it to be, it is such an incredibly personal thing. I think there are many different forms of love that often go unappreciated. I think the world these days is scared of jumping into something "real" or "serious" for fear of messing it up. Everyone is in the constant world of "things" and "just talking," no one wants to put a label on anything.
To be honest there are good and bad things about this concept. On one hand, sometimes I wish dating these days was how it is in older movies, where if you like someone you like them and you just ask them out without even thinking about it. You jump into things completely without fear of striking out, and without fear it may not end the way you hoped. I thought this was a pretty amazing way of thinking, of being fearless and just taking a chance. However, sometimes this way of dating is honestly terrifying. People back then also didn't think about jumping into anything at all, just more like lets do it.
Today, is the complete opposite problem, the majority of our generation overthinks every little aspect when it comes to being with a significant other. From thinking it means something immensely bad when someone one doesn't text them back after ten minutes, to just completely giving up on a person if you don't hear from them on one day. A lot of the time people are so consumed with themselves and their side of the "non-relationship" they don't even think about what may actually be going on with the other person.
There is also the added factor of caring so deeply about what other people think. I don't think you're truly ready to care about someone to date them if one of your reasons why you like them, is "what will everyone think?" Because that is the absolute least important thing, yet a lot of the time people value that more than establishing a real connection with the person.
People do all of this and expect to fall in love when they really don't give anyone a real chance. It's actually kind of sad. To me when I think of being with someone, it's pretty simple you meet someone you talk to them you like everything about them, and if you both want to see each other everyday you do, you don't think about what anyone else says.
If it comes to the point where they're honesty all you think about you ask them out, give them a real chance of seeing where it goes, you don't need to put a label on it, that's not important, but at the very least make sure the only person your focusing on is them. Its easy just feel however you want to feel, don't think about anything else.
