Modern Love
Modern Love Is Broken: Here’s How to Fix It

Modern love is broken. You feel it every time you open a dating app and swipe through hundreds of faces that blur together by the third minute. You feel it when your texts go unanswered for hours—or days—but you still cling to the thread of hope that maybe, just maybe, they’re just busy. You feel it when a conversation is deep for five minutes, but then suddenly ends with "wyd" or a meme. And you wonder… is this really what love has become?You weren’t always like this. There was a time you believed in connection. Real connection. The kind that didn’t need perfectly timed emojis or the right amount of Instagram followers. But somewhere along the way, you adapted to the culture. You learned how to be cool, how to be casual, how not to care too much. You convinced yourself that detachment was strength. That ghosting was just a normal part of dating. That wanting more made you needy.But deep down, you’re exhausted. Tired of pretending this all feels okay.You’ve been trained to chase breadcrumbs. A good morning text once a week. A half-committed plan that never materializes. A little attention, followed by a long silence, followed by just enough warmth to keep you hooked. You’ve started mistaking confusion for chemistry. Inconsistency for excitement. You tell yourself it’s thrilling when they keep you guessing—but really, it’s just anxiety.The truth is, most of what people call modern love is just emotional starvation. It’s learning how to settle for less because everyone else seems to be doing the same. It’s watching people post filtered love on Instagram while living in emotionally barren situationships in real life. It’s mistaking someone liking three of your photos in a row for genuine interest. It’s sex without intimacy. Texting without communication. Touch without trust.This isn’t love. It’s survival.You’re not crazy for wanting more. You’re not weak for craving depth. You’re just living in a world that’s become emotionally numb. A world where vulnerability is dangerous. Where commitment is laughed at. Where “I miss you” is replaced with late-night likes on your story. Where feelings are something to run from, not run toward.But here’s the secret: you’re not alone in feeling this way.There are millions like you—burnt out, guarded, and quietly hoping for someone to cut through the noise. Someone who doesn't just flirt, but chooses. Someone who doesn't leave you guessing. Someone who’s tired of pretending that caring is uncool.The problem is, we’ve built a culture where being emotionally available is seen as desperate. Where saying what you actually want makes you look weak. So we all play this twisted game of emotional chicken. Who will care less? Who will reply slower? Who will stay colder?And in the process, we lose each other.Modern love is broken because we’ve confused attention for affection. We think a double tap is a sign. That a streak on Snapchat is intimacy. That good sex means real love. We’ve mistaken validation for connection. And now, we’re addicted to it. Hooked on the highs of fleeting attention but starving for actual substance.You deserve better.You deserve the kind of love that calls when you’re quiet—not just when you’re loud. The kind that notices when your smile is forced. That listens beyond your words. That doesn’t disappear when things get complicated. A love that shows up. Stays. Decides.But to find that love, you have to stop settling for its cheap imitation. You have to stop romanticizing emotional unavailability. Stop worshiping the chase. Stop believing that love has to hurt, or be difficult, or come wrapped in chaos.You have to start saying no. No to half-loves. No to "maybes." No to situationships that leave you confused and depleted. And yes—to people who make love simple, not complicated. Who make effort feel effortless. Who remind you that peace is more powerful than passion that burns out in a month.Modern love doesn’t need more filters or more rules. It needs more truth. More clarity. More people willing to say, “This is what I want,” without fear of being rejected. It needs people like you to lead with heart in a world built on defense.So what can you do?You can be the first to speak honestly.You can be the one who texts first without keeping score.You can be the one who asks real questions—and waits for real answers.You can be the one who’s not afraid to care. Even if it makes you look soft. Even if it makes you look vulnerable.Because softness is strength in a world built on numbness.You don’t have to fix the whole system. You just have to stop contributing to it. Stop rewarding games. Stop responding to coldness. Stop being okay with being almost loved.You are not hard to love. You are just in a world that forgot how.And maybe the most revolutionary thing you can do—is remember how. Love with your whole heart. Speak like you mean it. Show up fully. And if they can’t meet you there, let them go. Not as punishment. But as protection. You’re not here to convince someone to care. You’re here to find someone who already does.Modern love is broken. But you don’t have to be.And if you hold on long enough, love will come—not as a game, not as a performance, but as truth. The kind that doesn’t need fixing. Just noticing. Edem Tej