Fun With Dating

by Kristyne McDaniel

Dating is usually a phase of life that can tell people a lot about themselves. Many people view dating as a cynical aspect of life, one without any real hope. Others, however, view dating as a game and a pursuit with the object being to have as many experiences as possible. Still others view dating as a necessary evil to get into a relationship that has the commitment and shelter that they desire in their life. Regardless of the motivations, dating is a unique human experience that most people participate in during their lives.

Dating can be a fun way to have a new relationship. Many people choose dating in order to get their first taste of what a relationship can be like, allowing the rules of dating to serve as their virtual guide to learning how to act in a relationship and how the rules of dating impact the course of the relationship.

Within the general rules of dating, there exists a variety of protocols in terms of dealing with one another. While some of them can seem like common sense, others are up for some debate. Some of the issues up for debate are, the experience of the "first kiss". Many scholars assert that the first kiss should take place after nothing less than three dates, while still others assert that the first kiss can take place at any time and in any location.

Dating finds its purpose in developing long-term relationships. It serves as marriage preparation in many cases, but in others people date for years without marriage or commitment. Many a locker room joke is made about the different types of women men would want to date versus the different types of women men would want to marry. Apparently the difference carries some weight in the sexual realm as well, as marriage is seen as "settling down" in Western culture.

Nonetheless, for many people there still is a connection between dating and marriage. Some cultures reject the concept of any connection between dating and marriage. People in Indian culture or other Asian cultures believe in a concept called "arranged marriage", which effectively rejects dating altogether.  This saves the single person an awful lot of time by simply selecting a suitable mate from a proverbial "pool" of possibilities. An arranged marriage appears to be the easiest way possible to skip the arduous chore of actually having to impress someone and move directly on to the "good stuff".

Dating is seen differently in around the world. For many people in Western culture, dating is something that is worn like a badge of honor up until a certain age is reached. After that, dating becomes an embarrassment. On the other hand, marriage is considered "settling down" and viewed as undesirable to many people. The belief in most of Western culture is that while dating is something that is fun and exciting for a certain number of years, the inevitable will soon set in and one will settle down for a lifetime of commitment that nobody really wanted to begin with. In other cultures, thankfully, dating seems to be viewed far more realistically and the entire process is just skipped altogether.