By Kevin Lopez
The giant stuffed animals, the heart shaped chocolates, the happy couples, and the PINK – I hate it all.
Well, I really don’t, but I do at the same time. I think anybody who’s single understands what I just said.
It’s hard being single in February because it’s a constant reminder that you might be the problem and that’s why you are lonely or that everyone else around you is the problem and you are perfect the way you are.
In all seriousness, to be in your twenties and to be looking for a relationship is quite difficult, especially when we had a pandemic limit our in person contact with the outside world.
It means that a lot of us, while dealing with so much in our personal lives, are still trying to revive our social lives.
During that time Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge became a lot of people’s best friends and thus became THE WAY to meet people, which I hate.
Now, for someone like me who’s been in a whopping two relationships and both have come from a dating app, I tend to be more optimistic in online dating apps.
Unfortunately, not everyone has had that kind of luck. It seems that many will use dating apps to pass time when bored, have something without committing to anything, or even just one night stands, which I hate.
It makes things difficult when it seems that one person is untrustworthy or has other motivations that can potentially harm or hurt you emotionally.
I’ve had my fair share of moments where I was manipulated or lied to and used for a purpose that I never wanted to be a part of.
That comes with using online apps, someone else’s choices can have a huge impact on you and thus affect everything in the future.
Now, I’m not one to pass judgment on decisions that others have made in their personal lives, but can we stop that so some of us can fall in love? PLEASE????
It seems almost impossible to meet people nowadays, like… where do we meet people? For those of us who go to Grand Rapids Community College, we meet people here, but it’s hard when people seem to live all over the state and the fact that it’s a commuter school, makes a tough situation even more complicated.
Even if you do meet someone, it doesn’t guarantee anything other than hopes and dreams with a little touch of despair and disappointment, which I hate.
Also in my experience, the times I have foolishly believed that one of my classmates would be my next girlfriend has led to the class becoming awkward.
The one instance that comes to my mind is when one of my classmates apparently wanted to get to know me so bad that she bought my personal information off the internet.
She scored my phone number, address, and work location, which I thought was kind of impressive until I realized this move was actually a pretty big red flag.
While this is not the conventional way for someone trying to introduce themselves, my toxic trait is ignoring this and still talking to her.
Valentine’s Day created these expectations that might not seem unrealistic, but just might be unattainable for the time being and that can really hurt, which I hate.
It could make someone think or feel that they are unlovable, which is very harmful for one’s mental health.
I know I have felt that way in the past and I don’t feel that way anymore, but that doesn’t mean others think or feel the same way I do.
So this is a message to all of you in happy, loving relationships, you guys should break up.
No, but seriously the biggest issue for people our age when it comes to relationships is hook up culture.
Now, everyone is entitled to live their lives to the fullest, but it must also be done with responsibility. One must not use another for their enjoyment and simply discard them.
For men and women, they both have gripes with each other on how they perceive how each one acts, and everyone is entitled to how they feel.
However, simply blaming and shaming one another doesn’t help or solve the problem.
Along with social media showcasing the worst of people and warping everyone’s view on relationships, many will say that they’ve given up on love, which I hate.
I haven’t given up on love, but I have given up on finding love by Valentine’s Day. This hurts, but isn’t the end of the world.
For any of you that feel the same way, believe me when I say that there is someone for everyone, they just might be taking their sweet ass time to come around, which I hate.
