The perfect person is just around the corner— or so they say. From Disney movies to Wattpad stories, we have been fed the idea of the right person coming to sweep us off our feet with perfect smiles and delicate grace. A sick dose of hopeless romanticism long invaded young teens before social media amplified it further today.
With the month of love ongoing—love is in the air, quite literally. The urge to find the right one lingers on every bouquet of flowers and every valentine-themed limited edition snack at the grocery store.
Oftentimes, in a rush to find the right sweet snack to hit the spot, people settle on something less than what they truly want just to satisfy their hunger. However, temporary satisfaction is imbued with the bitter taste of insufficiency and the craving stays long after being satiated.
And sometimes, that hunger has nothing to do with food. One question remains: “Are we truly hungry for love or just hungry for the mere fairytale of it?”
Sorting Through A Box of Chocolates
Nowadays, digital dating has become the norm and swiping right is the new equivalent to a yes. Simply put, dating in modern times is like sorting through a box of chocolates. Love online baits consumers with its idea of perfect and palletable in a fast-paced generation and people are hungry for the thrill of it. Sometimes, the box of chocolates doesn't have the flavor you truly want. So what does one do? Settle for the option that's pleasing enough to swallow.
A Craving That Blinds
At the dinner table, my Filipino elders have always reminded me to not let my eyes fool my stomach. Meaning, sometimes our eyes could crave an amount of food that our stomach isn't prepared for.
Social media increases that craving of love in every teenager. When they get a taste of it however, they find out that it wasn't love they craved but stability and peace they weren't given in their homes.
This, in the long run, causes unhappy relationships fueled by a craving gone wrong— the eyes blinded and the love becoming something they cannot stomach.
If the saying goes, “hurt people hurt people”, love-starved people end up eating hearts they wanted and still end up unsatisfied. Why? Because the love they lacked was in themselves.
Tying it all off, we live in a generation where love is perceived as instantaneous and compact enough to be swallowable. Thus, making the majority hungrier for the idea of it.
At the end of the day, realization hits: we can't keep consuming more than what we can provide ourselves. Love isn't linear nor one-dimensional— and most of all, you feed that hunger by starting within you.
Written by Gillian Grace Reyes, Insight PH
Gillian Grace Reyes, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
