Traditions? Dead or Alive?

So, traditions. Not counting like cultural traditions much but mostly the old-fashioned traditions. What makes me feel...disappointed in the youth today are the lack of old-fashioned traditions or disrespect for it. Maybe not disrespect it, persay, but don't celebrate that idea anymore. To name a few...

All girl/guy living spaces:

So, don't get me wrong. I'm not singling anyone out. But it made me think...I wouldn't wanna be running around in my underwear with a dude living in my house. It means I have to be 10 times more careful with what I do. Regardless of whether or not they're like my "brother", guys still get excited to see a girl in another way other than outside of the door. I think that it also allows girls or guys to bond more if they're an "all guy"/"all girl" apartment. Not just because I was raised that way, but I still see that it seems just...right to live that way. Girls, would you want your guy roommate to bring home his girlfriend (or some random hook up) one night and you have to deal with the drama of what that girl thinks about you living with him? Or guys, would you want your girlfriend giving you drama about living with a bunch of girls? Don't say that you would dump his/her ass if they gave you that drama. You have to think about it in their point of view. It just doesn't look right regardless of what is really going on. Not only that, but if you live with your bf/gf, I think that's like..."cheating" your way out of the marriage idea. I still hold true to the idea that one should only live with their significant other when they marry. It just seems that once you live with that person and you eventually get married, what more excitement is there? It's like you're already doing the same thing over and over and then there's nothing more. Then if you two break up from your relationship, there's the hassle of moving out, finding a place, returning everything to eachother, fighting over what belongs to who, etc. It just doesn't seem right, especially at this age of being in early college. Like I said, I don't mean to single anyone out at all. I just came across this situation for myself and this is what I think.

Courtship:

So, every girl, well a girl of old-fashion-ism (a real word? Nah.) always dreams about being courted. Courted has almost the same meaning as "seeing each other". See, these moments are the sweet moments. These moments are the cute moments where each person is still shy and on their best behavior. When I explained this to someone, here's what I said, "basically, courtship is like the early days before you're officially together. it's kinda like "seeing eachother" but where you're trying to prove to the girl that you're worth seeing into more. and you also trying to prove others around you and her that you really care but not only romantically, but if things don't work out, you'll still be great friends." The funny thing is, this person goes "Isn't that dating? or "talking"?" Point proven. This little part of the "relationship" process is completely skipped. Why? Beats me. But it should really be brought back. If this was brought back, relationships wouldn't have to be so complicated because according to JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ , "Relationships are complicated!" (He wanted me to put him in the blog. Buahhaah loser.) But forreal though, courtship is something that is so special. It's something girls still think about. At least girls who have more on their mind than just hooking up with a guy. And if you're a guy and you wanna date someone, try courtship. Tell me how it works out. And if you're a guy who's already dating a girl and you haven't done courtship (or at least to its full extent) you can still do it! But to future guys of girls, don't let courtship die! It's still special and girls still like it.

Sorry if this next topic is completely controversial but I just wanted to express my thoughts:
Premarital Sex:

A lot of teens nowadays have sex. Plenty of college students have sex. This is fact. About 60% of all Cal Poly Pomona students are sexually active. I am proud to say that I am part of that 40% who is not sexually active. This old-fashioned ideal of having sex only until you're married is disrespected AND ignored nowadays. Thanks to contraceptives having sex is so much easier. Thanks to certain pills, having sex is so much easier. Thanks to media, having sex is so much easier. Like I said before, don't get me wrong. I'm not judging anyone on what they've done or how they feel about this topic. I just believe that having sex before marriage is not only morally wrong but it kills the magic of when you do get married. This goes back to the living together situation. If you live with your boyfriend/girlfriend, more than likely you two are sexually active. Now, once you're married, there's no magic. There's no mystery. There goes the idea of a "honeymoon night". See, there's a reason why women wear white on their wedding day. It's a representation of the sexual purity of the woman. White is sign of purity. If you've already had sex before your wedding, white would just be an oxymoron to your wedding. See, I believe that sex is not an option while in a relationship. I don't think that sex has to be part of a relationship for it to be a great relationship. If you can go on without sex, then you really do have respect for eachother's body and self-respect for your own. Why is sex so important in a relationship anyway? I don't mean to ask that in such a negative sense, but I honestly want to know what people think. I was raised to believe that sex should only be saved for that one person when you get married. I have way too many friends who have STDs, who are pregnant, who are mothers/fathers, who have had abortions and things like that. See, I don't find any pros to having sex before marriage. Sure, everyone says it feels great. You know, I don't doubt you. I bet sex feels amazing! I bet it's one of the best feelings in the world. BUT, I want to share that most amazing feeling with the one that I love and will love forever when I marry. You know, I'll admit, I've had situations where I've been offered to have sex. And I'll admit that I ALMOST gave in. But you know, I don't wear a ring on my finger for show. I'm human and of course I get those feelings of wanting to be close to someone intimately but if I'm not the strong one, there goes everything I believe in. There goes everything I've worked hard for. And, there comes regret. It's hard to say no, I'll admit it myself. It's hard to turn down sex when it's so easily given to you. But, I still respect the old-fashioned tradition of sex until marriage. And when I say this, I mean ALL forms of sex. I also respect my body and what I stand for.

See, I'm not trying to preach to people. I just wanted to shed some light on some traditions that are EASILY forgotten and have been forgotten. These things still hold strong in my mind and heart. I really want to share this with people because I believe that in order to be happy in life and keep someone wanting more in life, these should be observed. Like I said earlier again, I'm not judging anyone at all. I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone either. And I don't mean to offend anyone. I just want people to understand that. These all stick in my heart and to live in a world that continues to degrade, forget, ignore, or disrespect these traditions that were established before. But forreal though, take a look back at what you were taught when you were yonger and just think hard about it and if you were never taught any of this, take some of these to heart or try to see where I'm coming from. Maybe it'll spark a thing or two.

Peace out. Love is bond.

-- Danielle Delos Reyes