I am a big fan of stories. Be it visual, written or told, I am sold. Stories have characters and plots and reality and fiction and everything under the sun. They teach us a lot of things, about the kind of flaws people have, how people deal with them, and somehow help us too. But they also teach us things which we might not know right away, they instil so many cliches into us, so many expectations, and that’s not how it always plays out.
Story ensues
Boy meets girl,
Sparks fly
They dance and twirl
Misunderstandings happen
They fight
Staying apart makes them
See the light
Chasing on the airport
Apologies and hugs
Two years later
They are out buying rugs!
I know this doesn’t sum up every story in the world, but this is the general theme. And if not this, there are so many instances of some very specific couples that work out together. Angry, stuck up or an introvert guy meets the most carefree and bubbly girl and she makes him open up, makes him do crazy shit and he falls for her. A scared, under-confident girl meets the most intimidating guy who literally sweeps her off her feet in the first meeting and their intensity is off the charts. Two egoistic people meet, start fighting right away, and eventually stop and listen to each other and realise they are in love.
But is this it? Are we supposed to fit into one of these patterns and is that the only thing that will ensure that our love story is going to work out? Can two introvert people, who may not always have something crazy to say or do, not work out? If a “meet cute” does not take place, can people not develop feelings for each other? I know opposite attracts and many specific personas shown as couple usually have the traits that complete each other. But is that necessary? How about two people connecting over their flaws and figuring out how to grow in them together, motivating each other, because nobody else understands them the way the person with the same problem would do. Why is this angle not so famous in stories?
I write all of this because I know somewhere deep down I fear that I also feel that the “right person” will feel that way right from the beginning because we will fit into these cliches. But what if that’s not the case? What if the “right person” isn’t supposed to give you a banging chemistry right from the start, not supposed to keep you on your toes all the time but you just get peacefully comfortable around them over time? What if while trying to look for cliches in a relationship, we forget to look at what is actually real and special about it? What if these sparks that fly just signify that you have made up your mind about someone and not some ulterior cosmic connection?
I just hope we don’t end up rejecting the right one for these cliches and create our own signs instead of following the masses!
Disclaimer: I know there are many many good stories that don’t necessarily follow the pattern but this thought has been there in my head from some days and the current book I am reading literally fell into one of the categories and so I just had to write about it.
quenchingthelongthirst 