It's quite stupid for people to constantly expect or want all the singles around them to find romantic relationships. What people might assume about singles can be entirely false. Some may be perfectly content in their singleness. This post is not about how single Christians need to be content with being single, although that is true--it's about how illogical it is for my society at large to treat singleness as a condition that needs to be cured. Contentment is not impossible for singles because romantic relationships are not necessary for happiness and are not pursued by all people.
Though some may protest, it is quite stupid for people to assume that single people are unfulfilled simply because they are single, always searching for a romantic interest, or consumed by desire to be in a dating or marital relationship. Just because a person is single in a culture that glorifies romantic relationships does not mean that he or she is interested in a relationship of that type at all. As strange as it may sound to some people, just being a human doesn't mean someone has any desire to date or marry. GASP!
In no way does the fact that significant others are not universally desired trivialize the desires of those who do want a significant other. It is just that this desire is not shared by every person. There are many things that someone can enjoy, married, dating, or single. Some people may ache for a romantic relationship, but some may never be struck by the urge to look for one. Instead of assuming either about a person, a rational mind will realize that people are individuals and their desires and the intensity of those desires differ from person to person, and this includes the desire for romantic companionship.
Other relationships can satisfy loneliness, depending on the type of loneliness. It is not as if a single person has no other available avenues to satisfy a longing for social connection. On the contrary, a variety of other relationships can enrich someone's life immensely. Friendship is far more than just a filler while waiting for someone to date or marry. Besides, even in a romantic relationship, a person can have social needs that extend far beyond the capacity of a significant other or spouse to meet. People need to stop assuming that singles are desperate for romantic relationships, and singles who are desperate for romantic relationships can still find a wealth of relationship depth in their connections to other men and women apart from romantic pursuits. Loneliness does not always require romance to be cured. What does need to be cured is my society's irrational obsession with romantic relationships.
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