Maybe Relationships

Sometimes I get a little sad at the direction our culture is going.

I'm not saying it's all bad. There's a higher respect for people who are different from you, and more people getting education, and technologies I have come to love. I mean sound tech, movies, music, information at the click of a button, the ability to call for help if you're stuck on the side of the road...

But what about our relationships?

...facebook for instance. I've been able to keep in touch with dozens of friends I would have lost all contact with otherwise. And that's the benefit/good thing about facebook. But on the other hand, the quality of those relationships is seriously lacking. And the habits and attitudes our culture is developing are kind of depressing.

Last night, Justin Jones read an article about "maybe" society. Where your word no longer means much. Where you can click "maybe" on a facebook invite and really mean no. Where you can not make plans ahead of time, or cancel at the last minute if you don't really feel like going. Where you can wait til something better comes along. And it's even your close friends. Can you really count on me to be there when I say? There was a point when I'd say YES! Of course! But I admit that there are nights I bail on something I had planned to do just because I'm tired and would rather sit on my couch. And I know my friends don't love me any less or mean anything personal by being busy or not knowing their schedule more than a week out. But it's a little disheartening isn't it?? What happened to community celebrations? Knowing your neighbors? Knowing your friends won't cancel on you? Having a few very close friends instead of hundreds of acquaintances? Really wanting to get to know people on a deeper level?

Again, I know there are benefits mixed in there. The ability to reinvent yourself, or move on from a past you want to forget. And I have good, close friends, I know I could call when I most need them...

And speaking of relationships, I've noticed less and less people really believing in marriage. And I completely understand why. In a culture that actively promotes selfishness, how could two selfish people ever make marriage work and why even bother these days when it's unnecessary? I get it but I think that's incredibly sad. Marriage is suppose to be a wonderful partnership. It's beautiful in it's own messy way. I still believe in marriage...but am I becoming part of a minority?

I think if you asked someone off the street what was most important to them, most would reference some kind of relationship. And people are still getting married (though I'm pretty sure they're more concerned with the wedding than the marriage). But I just see things that slowly changing relationships and I just wonder...do people even notice? Do they care enough to want to change it? Can we redeem it? Do we have to give up things to do so?

Am I the only person that is bothered by this??????

--Noelle