Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
Effort is Generation Z’s fatal flaw — rather, the collective lack of it.
Every day, videos upon videos are posted, liked and shared with tips or “relatable” views on how to master the art of not caring. Striving for objectivity and a “nonchalant” attitude has almost killed the concept of love for our generation entirely.
Since the idea of “yearning” has come into fashion, no doubt due to popular media like “Bridgerton” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” there’s been discourse claiming that this phenomenon isn’t a new one, nor is it exclusive to our generation.
I beg to differ.
Take Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hit “I’m On Fire:” a song about being so desperately in love you wake up in a cold sweat. Now picture Tyler in Kappa Sigma Alpha expressing that he tolerates you.
See my point? Today, it all seems like a competition; the less you care, the more you can “pull.” While I won’t deny the appeal of someone who comes off as aloof and “cool,” that only takes one so far. No one wants to be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t express their attraction — physical or otherwise.
The popularization of location-tracking apps, like Snapchat, has also hurt our generation’s ability to yearn correctly. With the opportunity to view someone’s location or snap score at any time, seeing them in person automatically becomes less important. This instant gratification harms more than it helps when it comes to forming a romantic connection.
Just decades ago, the “ideal” declaration of love was someone standing outside of your window with a boom box, coming to your door in hopes that you were there or calling your house phone. Today, no one dreams of receiving an Instagram DM that reads, “Yo, let’s link.” But the thought of someone looking at your photo longingly and hopelessly waiting for an opportunity to ask you out? That seems more charming.
We came of age with the iPhone, and we simply haven’t been taught — or rather, forced — into understanding healthy forms of intimacy or how to sustain a potential relationship.
Perhaps this generationwide shift to demureness is due to a collective fear of intimacy. Maybe Generation-Z isn’t nonchalant by nature but by hesitance. Maybe we really are all prudes. This could be a sound explanation for why romantic convenience is so attractive.
We’re all just running around, hormones wild, without any sense of where to put these feelings or how to manifest them into anything more than a hot Instagram post in hopes that your “special someone” sees it.
Everyone wants to feel wanted and pined after, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The act of yearning is powerful, and mastering it helps you not only maintain your charm but heighten your awareness of your feelings and others’.
Don’t just tell the person you’re fond of that you desire them — show them. Be passionate in how you express your love and attraction. The thought of rejection is scary, but you know what’s scarier? Pushing it down and praying. So why not make the extra effort to being mindful of your feelings?
So go ahead: Spend some time looking longingly out of a window, thinking about your last conversation. Gush to your friends about their fashion sense and how good they smell. And when you finally do get a chance to make a move, go the extra mile.
Reach Gia Galindo-Bartley at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
