WASHINGTON POST -- Feb 20 -- Falling in love has never had a reputation for making much sense. Dante glimpsed Beatrice a few times and wouldn't shut up about her for decades. Why should not falling in love be any more rational? There is something peculiarly modern about this phenomenon, something aligned with our dark privilege of too much, this consumeriffic culture in which jeans and houses and breasts and ring tones are customizable. Consider it all: geographical dislocation, cities filled with singles, extended childhoods and postponed childbearing, speed-dating, the growing sense that the dating pool is as vast as the 454 men-seeking-women between the ages of 29 and 31 within five miles of your ZIP code on Yahoo Personals.
The full article was originally published at Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: We are in a throw away culture...why commit? Seismic changes on our views on marriage and long term relationships (commitment) will continue. How will this affect online dating. More importantly, how will online dating influence these seismic changes? Your comments please.
yes, the 'throw away' mentality hits those of us who are hopeless romantics hard.
is it throw away mentality or just the possibilities that are opened up to all of us now combined with longer lifespans, less children, ease of travel and relocation?
i think it comes down to being picky in a 'good' way - when you use your head too in partner selection - you also focus on the things that will last (hopefully). solid character, openmindedness to learning, individuation from parents, etc.
relationships are a more conscious endeavor now. mostly i think it's a good thing!
Posted by: coachsappho | Feb 21, 2006 at 10:14 PM