Dating: What's the Point?

In regards to David Cloutier's claim for anti-dating, I definitely do not agree with it. I think that dating allows yourself to find things out about your personality that you may have not known before. I also think dating, whether or not it ends in a happily ever after or a heart break, is a educational experience. I think most of my peers would agree that anti-dating has no beneficial effects. Yes, sometimes girls or boys would like a break from dating to become independent and learn how to live on their own. But sometimes having someone there for you 24/7 is good for you. It makes you a happier person, except if you are fighting all the time. If that's the case, time to be independent. The anti-dating argument may have a lot of supporters in the colleges and universities in 2013 because of this "hook up culture". Simply hooking up just for the sexual pleasure without getting to know the other person is a popular trend in colleges. Some college students think that dating is the antithesis of what the college social scene is about. I, however, think that relationships can thrive in college. If you are both mature enough to handle the relationship even in the college social scene, a relationship could flourish.

Gender and Dating Relationships

The article written by Andy has opened a different sector of my mind in regards to thinking about marriage and proposal. When I see proposals, I always think they’re sweet and look at the woman’s reaction. Never have I seen a woman propose to a man, or a woman fail to be completely and utterly surprised. Now that I think about it rationally… why haven’t I seen that? I half expect my future husband to propose in some fanciful way and sweep me off my feet, but why shouldn’t I propose to him? I think that article gives me a different and underestimated view of Americans who want to break free from the traditional aspect of marriage and dating. New women independence should give women the confidence to propose to her significant other. In regards to the reader’s question, I especially haven’t thought about the man’s expectations. I think that men are nervous before the proposal and quite conflicted on how to propose. He doesn’t know if she’ll say yes, if the ring is big enough or flashy enough, if the proposal is at the right time. I think men have more expectations on the after marriage life than women do. Expecting wives to stay home and have children while they work is one of the many stereotypes given to married women. Women, on the other hand, have more expectations on the pre-marriage life, such as the proposal and dating. I think that these two points of view have no correlation to my family experience or the love stories we shared on Friday, unfortunately. It would be awesome if one of our moms proposed to one of the dads instead of vice-versa. Maybe my generation will break through that tired tradition and switch it up a little bit.

America the Beautiful

I think Gerren Taylor is the epitome of the extent the modeling industry can have on a teenager's confidence and self-esteem. Her perception of her weight and beauty was influenced by one person's comments because her hips were too wide. She immediately changed her opinion on her look, size, and confidence in herself. I, personally, have seen many of my friends and peers go through a period of self-destruction. It's becoming increasingly more prevalent in today's society that girls view themselves as ugly as opposed to pretty, ugly as opposed to skinny. No matter what one says to his/her friends or peers, nothing will change that person's opinion on themselves until one achieves his/her unreachable goal. Becoming as skinny as a model takes more than extreme diet and exercise. One has to win a "genetic lottery" to become as skinny as Miranda Kerr, for example. I see all of these horrible examples of self-confidence and attempt to stay away from the alluring self-dstruction. The publicizing of the skinniness and beauty of models cannot escape me, however. I try to accept me for how I was made and how I currently am. As long as I feel comfortable in my skin, the number on the scale or how shiny my hair is doesn't matter to me.

Becoming Who You Are

In Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak, Palmer dissuades his audience from their original notions about vocations and success. Instead of journeying along in life wondering when one is going to get to their ultimate goal and finally become comfortable in being themselves, Palmer discusses that we should strive to work on what we already are. Instead of always looking to the future to see what one will become, one should work every day to better themselves and his/her character. Instead of thinking that vocation is some mysterious call from God to do some great work, we must think of it as a privilege to let ourselves be the best we can be. Our talents must be shared with the world, or else God would not have given them to us. Also, success cannot be determined by something that is tangible – money, cars, clothes, even a position in work. Success is defined differently by each individual person. Palmer’s words offered me a completely foreign and different perspective on vocations and success than I have ever heard before. Coming into my second semester of my senior year, it seems to be every conversation leads back to my college decision and the major in which I will try to pursue. Palmer’s words “our vocation is when our greatest talent meets the world’s greatest need” really spoke to me. It made me contemplate on my major choice of communications a lot. Although I haven’t made any concrete decisions yet, maybe I have time to explore different options that would affect the world in other ways that I may not have intended to affect it before.