(Pixabay/Ben_Kerckx)
Life is nothing like the movies. It does not have to be logical.
Movies are designed and directed by humans, which means they have fixed endings that reflect specific themes. However, our lives are different. They are never predictable, and do not have to be pre-determined in order to show others the plot.
The article “True Love is a delusionary scam” argues that “falling in love in movies is drastically different from real life.” However, there is no universal definition for true love. No one has the same idea of the perfect relationship. This is totally fine. Do not give up on love just because your current relationship is not as idealistic as the movies you watch, because no two people are by nature perfectly matched. Every relationship needs time to process. We all need time to make adjustments to each other’s habits. Even if the romantic relationships in movies are fictional and even if dedicating ourselves to one person can be scary at times, love is still worth pursuing.
Before talking about why people should believe in love, we can look at why people distrust relationships in the first place.
When people ask, “Is true love a scam?” they should really be asking: “Why do I choose to be single?” From my own experience and those of my friends, many choose to be single because it feels like a breakup is inevitable. Less than 2% of male undergraduates have a girlfriend because of many reasons such as incompatible personalities. Heartbreaks leave us wondering why we should have unrealistic illusions about a relationship if the result is always breakup.
However, our life is not centered around love, so there’s no point in being obsessed with the idea of a relationship. You must love yourself more than you love your partner in order to not lose yourself. For example, it’s not healthy to sacrifice all your time and money all on your lover, or be unable to focus on school after a breakup. I used to be trapped in such a relationship; I once thought that if I broke up with him, I would never believe in true love, because this was the first time that I found someone who I really love. This was also the first time that I had the courage to say we could be together for a really long time. However, we still broke up in the end. It can protect you when the love fades, and the relationship ends.
I believe that time heals all wounds. After moving forward, we can start anew. Love is a gift. Having someone at your side will give you more courage to face the difficulties of life since you know there will be a partner to share your burdens. Some think we lack the time to be a responsible partner, and others feel that right now is not the right time for a relationship. If we do not have time for a relationship, then we must take a break from it and focus on our other priorities.
After we overcome the stress of college, we will eventually welcome a period of romance. Despite the chaos, we should try to be a little bit more open-minded, because you never know when your romance will arrive. Love is beautiful, so it’s worth a try.
Linda Li (24C) is from Changsha, China.
Linda Li (she/her 24C) is from Changsha, China, majoring in philosophy and religion. She likes reading and watching YouTube.
