I can really sum this one up in just two words. Unnecessary bullsh*t. This is what I like to call the middle man no one needs between being single and being married. Why? Three reasons.
1. Rule of thumb
I have a rule of thumb at this point in my life based on my past experiences and watching the rest of the world make the same mistakes. Fall in love before commitment, don't commit with hopes of falling in love. Think about. How many people do you know who are actually deeply in love with one another before they go ahead and give each other that girlfriend/boyfriend title. I ain't saying there's none out there but its like needles in a haystack. Most people get to this point based on "i like you a lot so far" and basic shared interests. But I like you a lot is not good enough in reality.
Lets take God for instance. People don't just up and commit their lives over to God and give up the life they were previously living. It just don't happen that way. We all really like to be blessed and have good things happen, but unfortunately just really liking what God does for us is not enough to convert over to really being with Him and not the world. Those who do commit their lives to Him, most times take months and years to learn of Him and fall in love with Him first. There come many trials, tribulations, and testimonies before the actual commitment. Well its the same way dealing with a human being. I cant just up and say you're my girl because I like you. Nah slim. A wise man told me you either love em or you hate em, because if you like em its possible you could hate em tomorrow. So I look at it like this; If I cant just up and commit my life and my heart to God without being in love with Him, why would I commit to you without being in love with you? Make sense? This leads into my second point.
2.The title gives em a reason to lie
I already know what some folks are eager to say. "Well you gotta be with somebody to fall in love with them" Telling yourself this lie does nothing but set you up to hear lies from the other side. You ain't got to be with no man or woman for them to fall in love with you. Communicate with them, yes! Spend time learning them, yes! But you ain't gotta stick me with a title and give yourself unwanted rights for me to fall in love with you. To keep it all the way real, the REAL test of time and sincerity in how that person feels about you is in how they maintain themselves while being single and getting to know you. You tag someone with that girlfriend/boyfriend stamp and now they have a reason to lie which just makes em higher risk than they already were because there's already a chance they might be lying when they're single. But at least when they're single the risk is lower if you're dealing with a halfway decent person because its pretty much a "what i got to lie for" type deal. "Yeah I like you but we ain't together so if something else happens, it happened and I'm sorry it happened that way but"......Again this is if you're dealing with a half way decent person. If they ain't half way decent, you're all the way blind anyway.
But back to the point. Once that title is in place, now dude cant go where he was going when he was single without 10 more questions and concerns than he had before. Now if she steps out she might get the same questions and concerns but in the case that she has a man who really ain't tripping, now she's wondering why he ain't trippin and that becomes an issue in itself. I'm telling you, it seem like as soon as you establish with someone that we girlfriend and boyfriend its like they got 4 eyes and not just 2 anymore. Its a blower! Its life for what?!! I started liking you because of the way you were not b/c of how you acting right now! Now when I'm going to kick it with the same homies I was going to kick it with last week, I gotta compromise my truth to keep you at peace by saying some sh*t like "i gotta go drop this bread off to O real quick, I'll be back in a few minutes" when really I'm just tryna go kick it like i been doing but that's not suitable anymore. She wants more time, more answers, and more respect than that. And vice versa, a lot of dudes act the same way.
And that's where the lies come in because you're still tryna be who you are while trying to consider this person 10times more than you did a week ago. But had you stayed single and kept to your ways, this person would see all they need to see in a sense where really even if they want you to change somethings, they can express it but all they can do is respect the fact that you're being who you are and hope for the day these things change. Time will tell everything. They'll either learn to love you as is or learn that they cant put up with you. Its that simple. But if they love you as you are going in, they already know if you lie, what type of lies you tell and when you like to do things that they don't neccessarly agree with. When someone knows you accept them flaws and all they feel less need to lie or hide their flaws. It might seem like they're never gonna change at times but really if they have any type of care for you, they hear you, they see your concern, and most of all they appreciate the fact that you're still around which will more or less begin to bring on that change. But tie'n em down often makes them feel like they cant be their self without providing explanation and going through changes, and so on come the lies.
3. Commitment is Commitment
A girlfriend to me is a girl that is a friend. Hence the name. No need for us to go and try to complicate it and add more to what it is than what it really states. I know that's what we are trained to think but get a different trainer because the one you're using sucks. I'm like this; Commitment is commitment. Today's girlfriend/boyfriend relationships are like a trial period deal. This ain't the 60 day aol disk you used to go cop from the grocery store back in the day. I'm a grown man. What I look like being on a trial basis? Don't title me your man and say "ok i need to see how you treat me and see that you really love me before I give you my hand in marriage" What is that? You can see how I treat you and see that I love you while I'm single. (as eluded to in point 2). I cant go in a sprint store and see a blackberry that says "free with 2year plan" and go to the counter and say "aye dawg i want this free blackberry but let me test it out for like six months before signing that contract" Nah, ima keep whatever phone status I got right now until I know I can manage that monthly bill for 2 years and I got a made up mind that that's the phone I really want. That's how I look at it with women. If I'm not really ready to commit for the long haul, I'm not ready to commit period. And me being ready to commit for the long haul means I really love your ups, downs, lefts and rights. At this point what do I a MAN look like making you my GIRL? And what do you, a WOMAN, look like accepting just being my GIRL? If its love its love and love is supposed to be what? Everlasting. Meaning what? Forget all that bs, we bout to make this thing official, go get that finger sized. Its that simple. You think God is gonna look at me and say "you didn't treat you're girlfriend right in 2010" No! Because we aint make no vows to no God to love each other and be with each other till death do us part. Plus we probably fornicating considering we ain't married so if He gonna say anything its gonna be "why didn't you obey me?" The word do say its better to marry than to burn. That's what it says! So if ima commit ima make the right commitment, not the trial period commitment that holds no weight but sure as hell carries a lot of weight.
In closing I say this. If you got a girl or a man, that's cool. That's your thing. This is just my perspective and why I will remain single until I'm married. Allowing a person to be who they are without feeling bound is the best way to learn a persons true colors and know not just the painting, but the painter before purchasing. There is no title requirement to fall in love. Just communication and attentiveness. It don't take the middle man (bf/gf commitment) coming in telling you how to act, what to say and where to go. Love will do that on its own in the right time and season. Commit to love first, and the person second. It works better that way and saves you a lot of drama. Good day folks.