Franklin D. Roosevelt once said "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself" and while I'd like to believe that, I sometimes find that I can't. Not because I enjoy being pessimistic, but because if you're not afraid sometimes chances are you aren't living.
In our everyday lives we make many decisions, and some are easier to make than others. The decisions that I want to talk about are the hard ones. The ones that keep you up at night, the ones that keep you from eating. The ones that will end up having a significant impact on your life.
Now in our generation, there seems to be one thing most people are afraid of, commitment. The word alone makes some people cringe. People hear the word commitment and get nervous. But why? What is so scary about being committed to someone?
I personally think it's a fantastic idea. (But I am also a hopeless romantic/loser, so what do I know?) However, many young people do not share my view, and I have to ask myself why that is...and surprisingly I came up with a few answers.
One reason why I believe people are so afraid of commitment is because you really only have two options. 1. stay with that person forever, 2. you use a sketchy fire escape that will 100 percent hurt you in some way (aka breakup). And I understand the hesitation behind that. It is a big deal. Nobody goes into a relationship with the expectation of one day breaking up with that person. Its pretty much a 50/50 chance that it will workout.
A second reason why some people are afraid of commitment is because they like having options. Why do you think we like buffets so much? Because there are hella options for us to choose from (and because they are reasonably priced). Now there are some rare people, like myself, who set their eyes on someone and never wanna look away. However, the majority of people prefer being able to get something/someone else of they want to. You know, because we're a bunch of children who enjoy playing with other people's feelings as if they were a jump-rope. But I digress...
The last reason that people are afraid to be committed to someone, and this is the big one, is that they have no confidence in themselves. Some people literally look at every aspect of who they are and out it under a microscope. And once they look at themselves they notice flaws which really don't exist. They look for reasons to feel bad about themselves. It can be they're not smart enough, not in shape, don't have money, or literally anything, but it gets in our heads. And we let it sit there until it controls everything we do. After you think up all of the crazy flaws, you start to get paranoid. Maybe your partner doesn't laugh at something you say. And suddenly you think they don't like you,anymore. Or maybe you wear a new outfit and they don't notice. Then you feel as if they don't think you're attractive anymore. It's a vicious cycle, but it can be stopped.
So I beg you. Please do not fear commitment. Embrace it. Embrace the hell out of it. Because I believe you only get one real chance at finding all of the happiness in another person, don't miss your chance because of the stigma on being committed to someone.
