“Love is timeless” – a common phrase repeated in love stories, movies and books. So is “I will love you till the end of time.”
While everyone has their own interpretation of what love is, most people would recognize great love when they see it. Many love stories never get old with time, perhaps most notably, “Romeo and Juliet” and “Kais and Laila.” But how many people believe that such love stories still exist nowadays?
Egypt Independent wanted on this year’s Valentine’s Day to find out if love today has changed from the past by asking a few ordinary Egyptians about their thoughts on the topic.
“Love in the past was more genuine. These days it has a fake flavor and it’s more a show than true love,” says Nermine Gadallah, 50, who works as a tour guide.
“I think the lifestyle back then was the same so love stories didn’t really differ. However, it was kind of real compared to current ones since you don’t have the fancy ways to get a date through matching [phone] applications, so a guys/girls were loyal to each other because they only had each other, they didn’t have much else to try,” says 25-year old research assistant Mohamed Omran.
“I believe in the past it was better but more difficult. In the past obtaining approval to marry your beloved one was difficult, but it was a good thing because it made a girl know her worth in her partner’s heart. Today, phones and the internet have made everything easier and accessible so its value has diminished. The age of letters, nice coincidences and meaningful difficulties has died.” says Maie Rizk, 22.
Nada Khalil, 22, agrees that the essence of love has been lost in the time of technology, “Love back in the 80s was more pure, men didn’t perceive women the way they do today.”
“Love has just become cheap. There isn’t really an essence for it any more.”
“Call me cheesy,” says Khalill, “but personally, I would love for men to pick up the ladies from their door steps at home after meeting her father for the first time.”
Kirolos Magdy, 18, believes love has got less personal; “in the past love was from a person to a person. Today it’s mostly unreal due to fake relationships built online.”
“Love in the past had more passion than nowadays, because you could go a day or two without meeting and barely talking on the phone. But today, people are literally talking every single moment and every hour so there is less time to examine our own feelings and try to miss one another,” Hazem al-Sheikh, 25, says.
“Most relationships today are being used to each other, not being in love. In the past there was a limit to the number of dates, because every moment was cherished. Moreover, relationships have now become about making the next move more than enjoying the moment.”
