“I just want to have a boyfriend by the end of the year.”
“I really want to go on more dates this semester.”
“Who am I going to ask to formal?”
It’s the first week of class and these concerns are already at the forefront of some Pepperdine students’ minds. Since high school, (maybe even middle school for the more mature) each year brings another opportunity for a flourishing love life or a time to be single and loving it.
Full disclosure: I am in a relationship and am very happy. But I had friends and relatives alike come to me at the beginning of this school year with their wishes to “finally” find somebody. They are so bogged down by this idea; it takes a lot of energy to think about all the ways society tells us how we are not complete without a soulmate.
Imagine if these pressures weren’t there. The desire to find someone is embedded in society so strongly that many people are convinced it is of optimum importance. If this desire were lifted, what could one do?
Could academics take the main stage with students making sure they receive the most out of their education? Would platonic friends spend more time together, without the intention of hunting for a potential mate at the same time? If students weren’t tied down, would they be more inclined to travel to new places so that they could expand their own personal perspective of life?
It is hard to say what someone’s focus should be at any point in their life. It is the prerogative of any Pepperdine student to want a life partner and to spend time finding them. But, it might do some good to focus on the individual and to go on a personal journey. Love might just happen on the way.
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Follow Maria Valente on Twitter: @maria_elise01
