Love? Well, it depends. Most people, including myself, spend a good amount of time trying to figure out what exactly it’s all about. We feel the need to love and to be loved; we want to care about someone and to be cared for in return. We want to find passion, desire, friendship, companionship, symbiosis, pride, recognition – all in one person. And most of us know how demanding that is.
The greatest of the Beatles, in my opinion, John Lennon, once said: “I love freedom. That’s why I leave all things that I love free. If they come back, that’s because I’ve won their hearts. If they don’t… that’s because I never had them anyway.” It’s a beautiful idea and, above all, a very sane way to deal with feelings and affection.
In this issue of CLOSER we interview a group of single people living in town; Chinese and expats. Some of them are single because they want to be, others are looking for a partner. They all share their experiences with us, bravely opening up about their dating trials and tribulations.
Macau is more and more becoming a city packed with people of different nationalities. Whether at work, in a bar or disco, or at a show or exhibition, it’s possible to come across the most different of characters, from very local people to globetrotters working in town for just a few years before choosing their next destination. Macau is also a city where people live fast (no, the idea that this is a laid back ‘Mediterranean-like’ spot in Asia is not true anymore), mainly because of their professional careers. Sometimes we just don’t find the time to get to know those around us. Unless, that is, we go online.
Times are changing very fast, technology is entering every single sphere of our lives, including the emotional areas, as the new Spike Jonze film, ‘Her’, shows us. People have started to meet less people in real life and more in the online world. And now through smartphone apps, there’s a whole new world out there.
February is the month that celebrates couples, with Valentine’s Day being an important date on the calendar for all the romantics out there. If you think you’ve found ‘the one’ and you’re together, enjoy it not only on the 14th of this month, but every day. And if you’re single, you might very well share in my idea that: all you really need is to be at peace with yourself and the ones you love.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
