Fairy Tales in the Digital Age

“Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you.” –Loretta Young

Interesting, right? Isn’t that what we all think; what we were conditioned to believe? As a little girl, you have Disney movies thrown at you and are read countless stories about white knights rescuing the damsel in distress. And that’s all well and good. It’s nice to have a fantasy world to slip into every once in a while but it does do a number on our minds. Not to mention the countless romance novels and movies like The Notebook or Titanic (obviously the love story part and not the big-disaster-now-everyone-including-the-white-knight-are-dead part). Basically, if we’re going by what the movies tell us, we have to sit in a coffee shop or go for a walk in the forest and bump into the man of our dreams. Let fate and destiny take care of it while you sit patiently waiting.

First of all—no. That doesn’t work. At least it doesn’t work 97% of the time. When fate does occasionally step in to help people meet unexpectedly it’s nice. It makes for great stories to tell the grandchildren while they surround you and your significant other in your matching rocking chairs on the porch. And we hate these people. Why do they get to meet serendipitously while we sit around like bumps on a log? All right fine, we’re happy for them. It’s sweet and nice but still doesn’t change the fact that we’re burning with jealousy.

Enter the digital age. We live in the modern world where online dating and Tinder are more common than chance meetings in coffee shops or even good ol’ blind dates. There are a major amount of success stories, long-term relationships and even marriages to come out of the online dating scene. That being said, you have to sift through a whole lot of bad people and creepy dudes to find one good one. It’s the proverbial needle in the haystack. Not to mention the fact that a good amount of people are looking to solely hook up and nothing more. It’s enough to make you crazy but the proof is in the pudding as they say.

Now you’re at a crossroads much like the writer of this blog post. It’s hard to break free of the notion of meeting someone naturally. Who wouldn’t want to be somewhere one day and unexpectedly meet someone who you click with? Is there anything more boring than saying “Oh yeah well, we met on Tinder and he messaged first and blah blah, etc.”? Of course, meeting someone online is not a bad thing and it does work for many people. It’s the fixed cookie-cutter view that people have of how they should meet their soulmate and the brainwashing of stories and movies that leave us hesitant to venture into the digital dating scene.

The moral or lesson here? It follows the logic of the old cliché “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” When in the digital age, take what’s offered to you. Joining a dating site, whether it be eHarmony or Tinder, doesn’t automatically mean you’re looking for love. You could be but you could also be doing it on a whim. And of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you shouldn’t go out hunting for love with Cupid’s bow and arrow with the intention of snagging that perfect guy or girl. But nowhere is it said that you can’t help it along. The dating sites are just the platform, it’s up to you where you land after you dive. Keep in mind that joining a dating site isn’t the end all be all of finding love. If you don’t like it you can also delete your profile. And who knows? Maybe while you’re sifting through the masses with no interest in anyone you see, fate is waiting for you to enter the coffee shop and bump into your soulmate.

Take the plunge, go online, have a little fun or go into it with serious intentions. Whatever the case may be, go for it. It’s better than sitting around waiting for the perfect significant other. For all you know, they could be stuck under a rock or in a tree or something. Grab your phone, sign up and start swiping left or right. You’ll find it can be quite addicting.