I’m going to get this out of the way, right off the bat. I do not hate love. I think love is a great thing, yada yada, insert other common ideas on love here. Well, I’m saying love, and we’re all talking about love. But are we? This whole issue is about crushes, and it’s the classic time of year for love, but are we actually talking about love? When we talk about this time of year, do you automatically start thinking about your family, or your friends? Start planning times to hang out with loved ones, and show them how much you care about and love them?
Or, are we saying love, when we mean romance? Yes, some people treat this time of year to pull out the stops for those they love in non-romantic ways. But most of our tv shows, films, social media feeds, teachers, club advisors, classmates, family members, and friends? They’re all talking about how they’ll treat their special someone, or how they hate being single, or how they need to get up the courage to ask someone out. It’s romance. We’re all mostly talking about romance.
And I hate it. I’m sorry to all of you lovebirds or singles out there, but I hate talking about and listening to everyone chat up about romance. I know why I hate it, but it is not something people really like to think about or take seriously.
I’m aromantic. You lovely readers are not entitled to all my identities, but I feel like knowing this one makes this essay make more sense. Just in case you’re not aware of what that means, being aromantic means you don’t have romantic feelings toward others. I just don’t have an interest in romance, and there is nothing wrong with that.
This isn’t something I talk about a lot, because most people just kinda ignore it when I bring it up? Or ask invasive questions on “why I’m this way,” which is in bad taste, by the way. Because, y’know, everyone gets crushes, right? It’s what happens to everyone. They aren’t people who don’t have that for whatever reason, that’d be weird!
I get sick of the assumptions, and the conversations about romance, and the obsession on the phenomenon, and.
And.
And I still like romance. I enjoy reading stories about people who care for each other, deeply. I get annoyed sometimes, but I still want to hear about my friend’s romantic lives.
And I enjoy other forms of love! I love my activities, and learning, and my friends!
I still feel so much without romance in my life, and I wonder what people who do feel romantic love could feel if they looked past what we see as the universal meaning of love.
But for now, I’ll brush the candy debris off my shoulders, and get back up. You can’t just let yourself be crushed forever.