Romance Versus Realism

I love romance, but I despise corny lines and cliches. Sometimes these two conflict. It's great fun to be romantic, and sensual over everything. It comes from me enjoying strong emotions so much, and some great emotions can come from romance. Elation, happiness, satisfaction, pleasure and lust. Just to name a few.

But what do you do when corniness enters romance? Then it's not really pleasant, it's just boring and hard to listen to. Things like moonlight dinners and love notes are some classic examples of good romance. However, if the notes use overdone lines and blatant cliches, the entire thing is ruined. The moonlight dinners and rose petals aren't usually received the way as a stupid line because they are such significant things that almost no one has had done to them. If they have, it might turn corny, but that's a 1 in 10 chance. Most of us have heard all the pathetic "I Love You" lines, but moonlight dinners, and soft music playing when someone gets home can be much more unique, because they can all be altered to apply to that specific person. For moonlight dinners, the person's favorite food. The soft music can be with the dinner or other things, and can be the person's favorite song.

Hmm. Just a little off track, here. A long time ago, someone asked me if I'd hold open a car door for a date, and, to be honest, I didn't answer right away. I ended up answering in the affirmative, but practicality caught me for a second. I'm strongly for women's rights, and don't consider them weak in any way. Any woman should be able to open a freakin' car door, and some might even be insulted by it (Those are the sort of people that appeal to me.). However, what I failed to grasp at the time was the fact that it doesn't matter that they can do it: it's the matter of you doing for them. They could get up to get something on the other side of the room, or you could be nice and bring it to them. It's just being polite, on a more romantic note.

However, it's just a gesture of kindness now, as opposed to the olden days, when women could "faint at any second." Some people say chivalry is dead. I don't believe so. It's still there, just very reclusive. Guys usually pick up women on dates, and some women are flattered by things like holding out chairs for them. So I suppose it all depends on the person.

Moving on to my second point. Love at First Sight. Here's where I start getting opinionated. Love at First Sight is a load of bull. There is absolutely no such thing. I don't believe in love at First Sight, but I do believe in Lust at First Sight. Now, honestly, when you see someone, do you go: "Hey, look at the morals on that girl over there" or "Wow, he looks responsible." No. You think: "Hey, what a babe" or "I wouldn't mind being in a backseat with that guy."

Yet everyone complains: "No, I knew it was love at first sight. We got together the first time we met and now we're married!" Yeah, and? When two people "fall in love at first sight" (translation: are attracted to each other at first sight), they will most often get together. When things don't work out, or when one or both of them turns out to be total assholes, they break up, and nobody hears any of that Love at First Sight crap. The 1 in 10 chance that the two people actually are compatible, THAT'S the one you hear about. It's not that tons of people actually fall in love at first sight, it's that with the other 9, you never hear anything. You're not getting the whole story.

Right about now, most of you will probably be thinking something like: "Wow, this guy is about as romantic as a brick." Well, I warned you, didn't I? The reason is that I'm not buying or spewing any of the fluttery lovely ideas of how beautiful love is, and how you know instantly. Love can be beautiful, yes, but it can also be a leeching, untrue thing. I'm trying to look at it all with analytical reason, and not false notions.

Did you know that scientists have actually done studies on the brains of people in love and found that when someone is truly in love, a specific part of their brain shuts down? I swear that I'm not making this up. It makes sense, because people in love will often put themselves in danger to rescue the other. This could serve as a survival mechanism. For a species to survive, it must have mated couples. It would be in the species best interest in the pair stayed alive, so one creature will try to save its mate if possible. This instinct is still around, only now it creates blind devotion, which may end up in someone walking off a metaphorical cliff for their "lover." I will refrain from saying that this is rather sad.

I want to be truly in love, yes, but when I do, I don't want to become stupid.