To start, firstly I want to explain what I mean by “line” here. In this text, “line” is how we experience things. It is a straight line, not flexible.
For example, experiencing a friendship or a romantic relationship in one way that everybody knows and is the (!) correct way.
So, why the question? “Is There a Line for Everything?” I think I have been exposed to the effects of it a lot in my life recently. Also, I blame social media, of course, for making us think in this way.
For example, I was talking with my friend the other day and she said, “You know I realize I do not have a best friend, like a sister. I am not this girl who has one bestie and does everything with her like others. Yes, I have so many friends that I do different things and I love them, they love me but still…”
When having so many unique friends became a problem, the line became “I have to have a sister”? The reason might be the trends in social media: that one girl you always go to after a bad date, that one sister you always carry everywhere, that one girl that supports you whatever happens, etc. It seems it is not harmful, but until my friend started to feel like being alone and failed because she does not have that (!) one girl.
Another trend in social media is, “Your girlfriend finally showed her aggressive side and yelled at you = LOVE.”
Now the line is: If a girl truly loves you, she becomes aggressive — because that means she cares about you. Then two days later, my romantic partner asked, “Are you angry because I did…? No, of course, why would you? Because you don’t care about me.”
When discussing something peacefully for better communication became a problem, and the line became “Love is aggression, caring is aggression.” I was thinking, “Oh, I care so much about him and I want to listen and try to understand him to empathize with him for a better relationship.” Then suddenly, I became the one who “doesn’t love.” I don’t know what to say.
I want to give another example — the trend of “a man”: the one with a boy lifting a girl and putting her on his shoulder with this background music that says “a man, a man, a man. Okay, that might be funny, of course — until a man cannot lift you because of that line: “A man has to lift a woman easily…”
Maybe, I might have exaggerated these effects of social media. I guess I just feel sad because people ignore reality, our real emotions and thoughts, and just compare themselves with a line of others.
