This week in my creative writing class, one of my classmates wrote about soulmates. It was an interesting story in and of itself, but what really intrigued me was the subject itself. Soulmates, according to Dictionary.com, means "a person with whom one has a strong affinity, shared values and tastes, and often a romantic bond," but what does this value mean to real people with real experiences? I asked ten different people (including me) what they thought about the subject. Here are their thoughts.
"I've always used the word 'Soulmate' to describe one romantic partner made for you. That doesn't necessarily mean that you'll end up with that person. Just like a normal relationship, you can fall in love and fall out of love with them, but they're still the one for you." — Friend
"I haven't put much thought into it, but I don't think that soulmates necessarily exist. I believe that people can be best friends, but calling them soulmates seems a little extreme." — Cook at a Restaurant
"I believe in one soulmate, but that doesn't have to mean a romantic partner. It can mean a best friend or anyone else you're really close to. I also think there's one love of your life, which is a more romantic look on it." — Friend
"Everyone has that one person for them that makes them into a terrible person, and then there's that one person who makes them into a better person. My ex made me into an awful person, and I didn't realize it for the longest time. The guy I'm with currently with now makes me better. He's kind of a douche, but he's perfect for me." — Waitress at a Restaurant
"A soulmate is someone who makes you into a better person and who challenges you. I wouldn't be the same if I didn't meet my best friend. She shapes me into the person I want to be. A soulmate is the person who completes the best version of you." — Friend
"Soulmates are real, and there are multiple for each person. I like to think about it like stars in the sky. Every star, even our sun, has one or many sister stars, and they're connected cosmically. In the same way, soulmates are interconnected in multiple ways, even if we don't realize it." — Waiter at a Restaurant
"I honestly don't think there are any such thing as soulmates because the world always seems to get in the way of two people being happy. Two people can be a perfect fit for each other in every way but eventually some force, like friends, family, work, or other crap, will get in the way." — Friend
"I'm 34 years old. I've been engaged since I was 31 years old. I dated a lot in my twenties, and I've had about 15 serious relationships in my life. I used to think all that soulmate stuff was BS, but my fiance feels made for me. We're both cynical, but we both love animals, and it's great. I think if you look hard enough, you'll find that one person for you." — Cook at a Restaurant
"I think you have about 100 soulmates in the entire world. That means you can choose who to be with, but you actually have to work and find them." — Co-worker
"I used to believe that we had that one person meant for us and only us. Just one singular person that wouldn't just complete us as human beings but that would also make us want to be better, not for the other person, but for us. Then I thought about what would happen if we didn't find that one person, or if something happened to them. Are we just out of luck? We missed our opportunity, so now we can never be truly happy. Not a chance. I'm a bit more of an optimist than that. Now I think that there are two or three soulmates out there, just for us. Whether or not they're best friends, significant others, or nothing to us at all, that's all up to us. We have the power to make it all happen." — Marisa Haselhun, writer.
