Life and Afterlife Coaching: "To the Manner Born"

On our most recent episode of Zodiac Divas, we talked about etiquette in dating: is it necessary anymore? Perhaps that answer varies depending upon whom you ask. One of the most recent additions to dating during the last couple of decades has been the increasing use of cell phones. One reason why it can be important to turn off your phone during a date is that it allows you to not only be present with the person you are listening to, but also to have a break from the stress of acting as an unpaid human answering machine. Being truly present with someone is almost like walking into a mutual meditation; a meditation during which feelings can potentially flourish.

Dating has changed since people have become more migratory, even since the Great Recession of 2008. Jobs are more abundant in certain cities and lacking in others, and industries can now crash or emerge quite quickly, causing larger groups people to move for work in a shorter period of time than in previous eras. Transportation has also become speedier during the last century. When we have the opportunity to travel more and settle into distant lands, we often become less connected to the people who knew us in our earlier years. Without a community of elders to reinforce etiquette, there is not as much motivation to maintain traditional behaviour and there might be less accountability for younger generations who are dating as a result. However, there is a positive side effect of less frequent contact with our families: we feel more free to date whomever we want, regardless of how different they might be from our community, and even country, of origin. Revised rules of etiquette are being developed frequently as we move forward into an inventive and exciting future. The years to come might be different in some external ways,  but the underlying love that humans will always inevitably feel for one another remains the same throughout time, no matter how much anybody changes the rules.