Romance in Today's World

Emily and I walked out of the movie theatre after Pride and Prejudice, starry-eyed with the warm buzz of romance from the movie.

"That was wonderfully romantic," I ventured, my mind filled with the vibrant images and scenes of the two leading characters as they challenged and denied their feelings towards each other before they finally admitted to them.

"Oh, I want a Mr. Darcy!" cried Emily. "There's no romance in this world left,:" she sighed wistfully, and couldn't help but question her statement.

There is something about the past that makes love seem romantic, instead of the sexually charged issue it seems to be today.

I wonder if it is something about the generation we were born in today, where relationships are no longer defined by the social norms of the Victorian Era. Marriage is no longer the institution it once was, as evidenced by the skyrocketing divorce rates. The revolution of equality and independence seems to have brought attraction and lust to the forefront of relationships, instead of courtship.

Perhaps it is the lack of mystery that surrounds the society; a society no longer bound by the formalities of the past, where the mere action of a woman and man sitting together alone in a room would be enough to start a scandal. In a society which values equality, where men and women mingle freely on equal footing. Perhaps it is the casualness that takes away the mystery that once was associated with the chase.

Or just perhaps, it is the technology of the world we live in, where everything is instantaneous and immediate, where people are constantly rushing to squeeze everything they can into their days as the days get shorter and shorters. The art of letter writing is slowly getting lost as we text, and e-mail and call, where messages are received seconds after they are sent. Love letters are a memory of the past, the word conjuring up musty, delicate white paper written in delicate, flowery script and reciprocated with a bold hand.

The slow rituals of courting seem to have been slowly eroded away, deemed as cliches of the past, commercialized to the extent where the meaning is lost. The simple gestures of courting with flowers, the single red rose and love letters are all things associated with romance, but no longer seem to play a part today.

I believe that there still is romance in the world, where young lovers walk under the moon and stars. Perhaps the knight in shining armour has changed his armour. Perhaps the rituals of courtship have become less significant, or perhaps there are new rituals that are replacing the old. I cannot tell.

In the meantime, leave me to my thoughts.