Our digital age has given us many wonderful benefits. Many, we take for granted. Consider how you might have watched a movie in the ’90s, and a spy was contacted through video call on their portable device. It seemed amazing and otherworldly. Now, we can Facetime people while standing in line at the post office. Another incredible invention that we just seem to take for granted, but is probably among the crowning achievements of humanity is Google Earth. Right now, with an internet connection, you can view and see a map of mostly the entire world, and travel down a three-dimensional rendering of a large percentage of the world’s streets. Let that sink in for a second. It’s truly breathtaking.
However, the online age, while incredible, has also led us to lose some of our most timeless and heartfelt customs. Romance is one of these things. Now, online dating or swiping left and right on a profile you like can happen within seconds. Blocking, ‘ghosting,’ sending pictures to people can all happen instantly. It’s not uncommon for would-be daters to have had a long conversation before they have even met up, running out of things to talk about by the moment they arrive at the restaurant.
Returning to the timeless markers of blossoming love could help you out of this difficult circumstance. For that, we would like to render some advice:
Writing Letters
Letters are a beautiful form of communication. Not only do they take time to write (yes, we’re encouraging hand-writing them,) but the time in which that takes can help you think of all kinds of sentiments you wish to relay. On top of that, when said letter is received, there is no ‘seen’ notification telling the other to wait on your response. Instead, they have time to digest your words and write one back. Each words being written has a deliberate feel to it, and it shows that you have taken the time to truly emphasize your thoughts. To that extent, a romantic letter will always be much more heartfelt than a simple text message or voicemail.
On top of that, the physical nature of a letter can help you also send other things along with it. This might sound somewhat cheesy, but we’d like to include a few examples. Perhaps spraying said letter with your perfume can help them picture you more vividly. Writing a poem or something else can show an original and handcrafted effort that feels beautiful to receive. Even something like a pink or red envelope can feel exciting to receive. Writing letters is not some archaic tradition of the past, but surely something you can use to help anyone feel special. If you’ve yet to do this, try it. You’d be surprised just how amazed the other person can be.
Flowers
Courtship has also seemingly gone by the wayside. As said before, dating apps and online profiles allow people to make romantic gestures through a Snapchat image or perhaps a phone call rather than an in-person means of sweeping the other off their feet. This is where flowers can come in quite handy for anyone. Flowers not only look gorgeous, but they can also be arranged in a manner that helps elicit certain emotions or evoke certain sympathies.
Ordering flowers online for delivery can help you find the best arrangement possible, and have them sent to your recipient. It might be that you wish to stay quiet and let the mystery build before you let them know who you are. It could also be that you wish to present said beautiful flower arrangements in-person. No one could fault you for that. Having them delivered to your home and bringing them in person to your first date might be a lovely thing to do. It’s these little moments that linger in the memories you form.
More Than Two Dimensions
Sure, at the beginning of any relationship, when you know nothing of the person, you will likely base your natural attraction on how they look. But looks aren’t the only part of it. How they move, how they smell, how they speak, how they behave, all of these things contribute to how a person is, and the attraction they have to offer.
Unfortunately, the saddest part of dating apps and online interaction is that we cannot see much of this. Instead, we see pictures of the person, curated and selected by them to seem as attractive as possible. Online, you will likely do the same. This can lead to us gaining small hits of dopamine when someone ‘attractive’ speaks to us, and vice versa. Then, when we attend the date, we might realize that actually, we haven’t considered them to be a person outside of those two-dimensional parameters. This can leave you feeling rather shallow.
To counteract this, we would recommend getting to know the person first. The personality is the main thing you will have to interact with. While looking for a perfect person is impossible, if you do not gel, do not continue with the pursuit just because they are attractive. This will only lead you to a sad state of affairs, and an unhappy progression of your interest. Over time, they will detect this too, and the relationship will struggle.
Look past more than two dimensions, no matter how much social media has influenced you. This isn’t just you we’re targeting with this advice. It seems that this is a lesson all future generations will need to learn, and the youth of today are certainly included in that. It’s a sad thing to say that returning to the art of conversation, learning about someone’s virtues, and always giving someone a chance to express who they are before you make your judgment will lead you to healthier relationships. If there has ever been a timeless marker of love, it’s this one.
With these tips, you’re certain to find yourself enjoying a much better, much more wholesome love life.
