Love in the Age of Doomscrolling
Dating in 2025 feels like trying to assemble a zombie apocalypse team while everyone else is busy updating their LinkedIn bios. The world is literally on fire: climate, politics, economy — and yet here I am, fielding texts from someone who wants to “see where things go” while bragging about how important they are at their job.
Apocalypse Applications Only
I’m not looking for a résumé; I’m looking for resilience. If capitalism has me down to my last $20 until payday, I don’t care about your corner office flex. Tell me you can siphon gas, purify water, make a meal out of rice and canned beans, or at least keep a cool head when the Wi-Fi goes down. These days, competence is foreplay.
Beyond Doomscrolling
It’s not that I’m cynical about love. It’s that I don’t have the energy for delusion. Between doomscrolling and trying to stay afloat, my romantic bandwidth is precious. The question isn’t “what do you do?” — it’s “who are you when things fall apart?” Because things are falling apart.
I want someone who can laugh at the absurdity of it all, who will share their last protein bar without keeping score, who knows the difference between “being busy” and “being unavailable.” Someone who doesn’t just tell me I’m pretty, but also respects my no.
The Stakes Are High
We’re all just trying to build our own kind of safety in a system that wasn’t built to keep us safe. If I sound picky, it’s because the stakes are high. This isn’t about choosing a plus-one for brunch; it’s about choosing a partner for survival — emotional, economic, maybe literal.
So yes, tell me about your passions and projects. But also tell me how you’re preparing for the storms ahead. Show me you can hold a flashlight while I fix the generator. Show me that you can be soft when the world is hard. Show me that you know intimacy isn’t a transaction, it’s a commitment to mutual care in uncertain times.
That’s not too much to ask. That’s just what dating looks like when you’re building your apocalypse team and hoping, somehow, to still find love.
This is writing!
“So yes, tell me about your passions and projects. But also tell me how you’re preparing for the storms ahead. Show me you can hold a flashlight while I fix the generator. Show me that you can be soft when the world is hard. Show me that you know intimacy isn’t a transaction, it’s a commitment to mutual care in uncertain times.”
The vulnerability in this is inspiring.