Josh Harris criticizes dating because he feels that the temporary relationships people form are “practice for divorce”. However, I don’t agree with this view. The sole focus of dating should not be finding someone to marry. I agree with Donna Freitas and Jason King’s claim that dating is about learning about yourself and how to form meaningful relationships. I don’t think that anyone can be prepared for marriage if they don’t date beforehand. Dating is about finding out what kind of person you want to spend the rest of your life with and what qualities you admire or dislike in other people. The point has also been made that dating “offers possibilities for personal transformation not found in other relationships” (119). This means that seeing things from others’ perspectives can help people to grow and better themselves. However, I do think that the “hook-up” culture prevalent in colleges today is not healthy. Most of the time, “hook-ups” don’t lead to relationships, and are purely based on sex. This culture does not prepare people to commit themselves to a relationship, and puts more emphasis on sex than on getting to know one another personally.
