Dating in this generation feels like a test of patience — and sometimes, of sanity. It’s not like before when love grew slowly, when people actually took time to know each other. Now, everything feels rushed and uncertain, like everyone’s scared to care too much or stay too long.

You meet someone today, and before you even figure out their middle name, you’ve already seen half their life on Instagram. The talking stage feels like a full-time job — texting every day, but never being sure what it actually means. You can have deep late-night conversations with someone for weeks, only for them to disappear without warning. One minute, you’re their “person,” the next, they’re “not ready for anything serious.”

I remember when I met someone I genuinely liked. We clicked easily — same sense of humor, same taste in music, same late-night hunger for suya and conversation. But even with all that connection, it still felt like a game. Replies got slower, stories started to tell more than texts, and before I knew it, we were strangers who once talked every day.

That’s the thing about dating now — people want the feeling of being loved without the effort it takes to love. Everyone wants connection, but few want commitment. We chase attention, confuse consistency for chemistry, and run at the first sign of something real because vulnerability feels too risky.

But here’s what I’ve learned: real love still exists, it’s just harder to find because patience has become rare. The best connections aren’t built overnight. They take time, understanding, and honesty — three things social media can’t fake.

So if you’re dating in this generation, protect your peace. Don’t chase confusion. Don’t beg for clarity. When someone truly wants you, you won’t have to second-guess it. Because love, the real kind, doesn’t play games — it grows, quietly and consistently.

And maybe that’s the ultimate test of patience — waiting for something real in a world that moves too fast to notice what’s worth keeping.