In A World That Fetishizes Romance, Platonic Intimacy Is Extremely Underrated

“If you can examine your life right this instant, is your garden of friends well-watered and nurtured? Or have you abandoned the lot altogether because you believe that all you need in this life of sin is a damn spouse?”

In our society we are conditioned to prioritize romance with the opposite sex as if that is the only worthy goal in life, besides procreating with the lucky individual who proves themselves to be a viable life partner.

We refuse to compartmentalize romance as being just that: a small side dish that makes up the beautiful and delicious smorgasbord of what love has the capacity to encompass. It’s like the other facets of love, such as our affections for our family, friends, country, associates, pets, and ourselves, are left to rot while we greedily feed on pretty fantasies that involve holding that special someone in our arms under the blankets on a chilly night or locking lips unexpectedly after that first date.

I talk extensively about self-love, and the extent that you love yourself as being the barometer for which all relationships with others are measured and judged. And I will continue to proclaim this obsession with finding “the one” as highly irrelevant, because in actuality you are “the one” for you, first and foremost. But for right now I…