Why Love In College Is Weak
Does youth prohibit full understanding of love?
I’m not sure what love is. I’m not entirely sure what it feels like. I have only been exposed to it as a third party. From high school to my 3rd year of college, I have always asked myself, “is this truly the time in my life that I could find someone special?”
Parents
I have no doubts about the beauty life can offer. I’ve grown up with loving parents that found each other at 22. To this day, they are happy and very much in love, a great example to grow up witnessing, and it is definitely something to which I aspire. This is why it puzzles me that I constantly wonder if this is realistic at this point of my life.
College
It’s scary, for one, to be open to the idea of a relationship in college because the majority of students claim to have no interest in the matter. Thinking about having a long-term commitment with someone at a point when you are achieving various milestones that accompany major life changes, seems unrealistic. It’s similar to the idea of tenaciously holding onto something while in the midst of turning pages.
Maturity
Each and every year, I learn something new about myself. Things upon which I used to base my beliefs have changed. I have gained new interests, discovered new characteristics, and let go of thoughts I used to hold dear. I have changed. How is it possible to go through this with yourself with another person by my side?
The truth is, I cannot determine whether or not this is something to push away at a young age. I cannot tell myself, or anyone else, that love isn’t appropriate at any given point in life. What we can do, however, is be open to the idea of finding it.
Spontaneity
In youth, most of the things that fall into our laps are unplanned. New friends, connections, discovering new paths of interest, nothing of this matter is planned. That is what makes the journey so beautiful. In my opinion, love is just another thing that can find us at any instant. Like any phenomenon, we cannot plan for it. We cannot force something worthwhile to find us at any given point in time. Maybe if you haven’t found “love” that others claim to have found, it just has not found you.
Am I Ready?
Perhaps we blind ourselves to the possibility of something wonderful because our friends constantly tell us how completely preposterous it is at such a young age. I don’t want to think that love is a negative thing at this point in my life. Nor do I want to push away something that could change my life and bring me happiness. I think that labeling a relationship as something “toxic” in college is toxic in itself. I have yet to meet someone who has found the love of their life and tell me it’s the worst thing that has happened to them. Maybe my questioning the idea of having this type of commitment is just proof that I am not ready for it.
Young Open Heart
Again, I’m not sure what love feels like. I’ve only played the part of a witness to young relationships, with tiny spurts of dating in my own history. What I do know is that this isn’t something to keep yourself closed off from. Don’t let young become a synonym for single.
