However, the great William Shakespeare has this to say,
“Men have died and worms have eaten them… but not for
love.”
“Romantic love is an illusion. Most of us discover this
truth at the end of a love affair or else when the sweet emotions of love
lead us into
marriage and then turn down their flames.” enthused Thomas
Moore in a cynic mood about romance, love and marriage.
Such a lot of effort and ink has been drained in
writing about various emotions and feelings involving dating, romance,
love and marriage. Many daydream happily and contentedly because of these
and many also cried.
Courtship, love and marriage are universal concepts.
These concepts exist on people’s culture, animals and plants, even in our
imagined extraterrestrials, practically everything that live and breathe.
They are integral part of our culture.
In a society, the basic unit is the family. What will a
family be without a marriage of two individuals? How will two individuals
marry if there is no romance and love? How will two individuals find
romance and love if they do not go out to date, be with each other and
learn more about each other?
It is truly a chain of concepts. One does not exist
without the other. There are all sorts of scientific, Christian, chemical,
biological, and etc. views that explains and expands about them. They can
be subjective or objective. They can be an issue of religion and an issue
of modern science.
The main fact is they exist and they have been in
fashion as long as everyone of us can remember. These concepts have been
in fashion ever since the oldest human on earth in the Guiness Book of
Records was born.
With regards to how these concepts come to exist. There
are various warring notions about these. Popular Christian belief is that
God loves us that is why He made a way for people to feel love because the
powerful feelings of love will be the one to wash away the mortal sins of
the people. Love will ultimately be the one to bring peace.
Dating, romance and marriage all have their versions in
the Holy Bible. Would you remember the love stories in the Bible? Even if
people have different cultures and customs, Christian people always have
believed in love.
Meanwhile, the Greek and Roman mythologies also have
their versions about dating, romance, love and marriage that until now
affect the modern people.
Scientifically, if you would follow Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution, we will find that the basis of why the universe and all the
things that exist in it is because of nature.
With regards to practices, there are many spanning from
ancient times until now. During the ancient times, most of the marriages
were through capture and not by choice.
Meanwhile, the arranged marriages and forced love came
up when people began business relationships, borne out of the need for
money, property, or political alliances.
The Medieval and Victorian eras saw the birth of
romantic concepts as a big factor in love and marriage. These eras were
also the birth of the dating activities when men would wine and dine the
women. “Medieval Chivalry” and “Victorian Formality” were among the famous
terms that would best describe these periods.
Along these periods were also the birth of customs,
beliefs and popular inclination about people regarding dating, romance,
love and marriage. For example, men are the ones who should be
entertaining the women and not the other way around during dates.
Eventually, especially in patriarchal cultures, men are
the dominant ones. Women are regarded helpless and dependent. Especially
during the Victorian era, men were knights in shining armors and women are
the damsels in distress. Women are more romantic and prone to loving too
much. Men are more reasonable and must be dependable.
The concepts about sex and procreation also came into
play along with romance and love.
Nowadays with the diversity in culture and the
significant changes in the society, it is but understandable that the
views on dating, romance, love and marriage have changed largely.
However, they are still concepts very much in fashion.
If not why are there so many things that have these things as topics? And
why the Sex and the City craze? The girls in here find havoc in terms of
dating, romance, love and marriage in the world of NYC but they have hope.
It is a testament that dating, romance, love and marriage are still
fashionable.
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