‘I Love You’ the new ‘Cya later’
Has our casual approach to these three words diluted its significance?
There was a time, in not so distant a past, when a lot of meaning was attached to these three words — ‘I Love You’. Uttered after a lot of deliberation, it meant commitment and unwavering loyalty. But that’s no longer the case. Constant communication via cell phones, social networks and emails seem to have ‘demoted’ love to a causal expression like ‘hello’. ‘I Love You’ has almost become the new ‘Cya later’, nothing more than a casual greeting. So, has our casual approach to relationships diluted the power of the three magical words?
Jatin Sethi, a college student, says, “We have become more casual about the way we use the words ‘I Love You’. I even sign off emails and text messages with ‘love ya’. In a way, it has become the new ‘cya later’. I don’t know if that’s necessarily a bad thing. It depends on the significance you attach to these words. For me, I have always communicated this way. So, it’s something I am accustomed to.” Sharon D’Souza, a call centre executive, says, “I have grown up listening to my mum and dad talk about how he wooed her with flowers, and see them lament the fact that the age of innocence and romance has died. However difficult this may be to accept, this is the reality. We have become more casual in our relationships and that is obviously reflected in our language as well.”
Sharon’s mother Hazel, too admits that she has seen a sea change in the way emotions are expressed today. She adds, “As times change, the way we use words and language to communicate also evolves. While I may lament the fact that words like I love you are used so casually today, the fact is, it’s something I have to get used to as it’s today’s reality. All we can do is hope that while the words may be used casually the emotions behind those words don’t lose their meaning or intensity.”
And it’s not just a casual approach to relationships that has degraded the expression of love. A constant need to be connected online has led to a drought of expressions at our disposal, and we end up using the few that we know for everyone. If you are someone who romanticises love and the way it’s expressed, this casual approach will definitely irk you. Can you do something about it? Well, it depends on whether you are willing to log off and instead connect with your feelings and emotions. Put down that mouse pad and take out a letter pad. You will realise that penning your thoughts down will not only give it character, but also that much-needed emotion.
If you romanticise love and the way it’s expressed, then it’s time to connect with your feelings and emotions
Casual approach to relationship has led to people using the words ‘I Love You’ more often
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