Tender Love Or Tinder Fu*k?

We are a generation that is caught between old school romances and modern concepts of non-attachment.

We are, perhaps, the most confused generation that ever lived. We have computerised our lives entirely. If a meteor was to hit us today, we will not have much to show that we ever existed.

Everything we do and everything we are is digitalised and stored in the abstract concepts of iClouds and websites. So, obviously, we created algorithm for the most personal aspect of our being- Dating.

We live alone is high risers and skyscrapers, and lack human contact. Mankind was to become social and create social contract of family and friends. Yet here we are, swiping left and right for love.

Tinder. I came across dating application rather late in life. Fortunately, I was too old school to appreciate the simplicity and user friendliness of the app. You create an account, you log in, you fill out a few details about your sexual orientations.

And BAM! An entire catalogue of potential lovers is ready at your service. The accessibility of non-attached and random sex, makes these dating application so popular.

Nevertheless, most of us go on these ‘hook-up’ dates with our hearts on our sleeves. The progress in technology outran our evolution with the advent of internet.

While we have a plethora of new possibilities, our hearts and brains haven’t quite evolved as much. Besides, chivalry is long dead, and it took Romance to the grave too.

I always knew that our shift from Jazz of the 60s to EDM of today, could bring nothing good! Slowly, but surely, we have removed love and attachment from our lives, and we are left with a ghost of emotions too suppressed to come out. We are not in sync with our hearts.

Moreover, the ONLY way we know how to engage in human interaction is through apps and social media platforms.

Gone are the days of meet-cute romance stories. Gone are the days when you could sit at a coffee shop and fall irrevocably in love. This generation needs speed. It demands speed. It craves it. Because, without speed, we will have to spend time with our thoughts. We are a generation that runs away from its thoughts. But everyone needs love, right?

So WHY are we looking for love on Tinder. Can it be because humankind has isolated itself to complete solitary confinement? Or because we have been fed the idea that casual sex is the upcoming rage? Or simply because we are a lovelorn race, and we try to fill the gaps in our hearts by living a life that is too fast for romance.

All of the above, and then some more. We lack the courage to be ourselves in front of the people who are supposed to be our friends and family.

We lack the courage to even accept ourselves as we are. So we go looking for validation and acceptance in strangers. We lack the courage it takes to actually sit down and open up to another human.

We are too impatient with love. We try to skip to the good parts, directly. And, more importantly, believe that sex is akin to love.

We fill the gaps in our hearts by filling the ones on our bodies. And what better way to go looking for this hollow love, than on tinder?