Fictional Romance is poisonous yet you buy it still

I’d be a hypocrite if I say I don’t watch romantic movies and TV shows, but it’s not the type of genre I enjoy most. Well, once in a while, I watch them, I share the same feelings with the heroine as she feels being loved by her man. But after the show is over, so is my fondness. I don’t linger much on the bliss I felt as I know in the back of my mind that those clichés don’t happen in real life.

I’m not anti-romance or anything, I just want to be a little realistic when it comes to love. Mediocre things like destiny, soul mate, and the One are the things most people believe, and I do believe them to some extent. But I try to lessen my faith on them, as I work on my mindset with regards to “love.”

The different media around us make us believe a lot of concepts about love – “love conquers all,” “love is blind,” “if you’re meant to be, you’re meant to be,” “you and your partner are destined for each other,” “love takes your breath away,” “love is this, love is that” – you get the idea. Truth be told, love isn’t as fairytale as the world defines it to be. Everyone has different love stories, cliché ones and grandiose ones. Maybe you’re a fan of a Romeo and Juliet love story (I’m guilty of this), or maybe you’re a fan of the Titanic love story. These stories portray a grandiose kind of love story, a love-against-all-odds kind of love. And we all know both stories ended tragically. So if you’re a fan of it, might as well get ready your life insurance.

The point is, we should stop thinking that real life love stories are these glorious. It is not. In fact, the more we think it is, the more we don’t appreciate the love we get from people. The next thing we know, we just let the chance slip from our hands simply because we’re still dreaming of this kind of love. We should start being realistic and see love even in the small things people do for us, whether it’s from a family or from a friend or from a significant other or even from a stranger. Chances are, if we appreciate them, these people will be inspired to do their best to show you more love and who knows? You might just find your “The One.”