Somewhere along the way, while acquiring degrees and becoming world-traveled, young African-Americans in the DC area have forgotten how to communicate. Oh sure, networking, socializing, and brunching are all at an all-time high; however, honest, direct one-on-one communication is scarce in this city. It is not intentional. The gradual, yet swift shifts from long walks in the park to drunken sub-tweets (subliminal tweets) have made it much too easy to circumvent a real conversation.
As time passes and heartbreaks accumulate, this generation seems to coddle cowardice. It is completely understandable. No one wants to get their heart broken more than once. No one wants to be vulnerable. No one wants to make the first move. Instead, it is much trendier to make public declarations that you “don’t want a relationship” or that you “no longer believe in love.” As with any repeated mantra, after a while, you can trick yourself into believing it is actually true.
Jadedness has permeated our subculture so that even one-on-one encounters are full of rhetoric, cynicism, and sarcasm all in an effort to mask our truest self. And while this approach does keep pride intact, it is fruitless. No one can really enter and truly get to know and appreciate you. Love can’t seep in unexpectedly. And while, hearts may not get broken in this process, no lessons can be learned either. And well, growing cold is not a substitute for growing.
There should be a new movement that embraces the bold and the courageous. In this new society, the ones that say what they really feel would be revered for they have managed to do what others wouldn’t or couldn’t. They dared to say, “I want you in my life.”
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