Long Distance Relationships: Is This a Healthy New Trend?

Warn torn lovers used to write letters daily by pen, and wait anxiously for weeks at a time until letters arrived. They longed and wondered and dreamt of the day they would be together. Today, the long distance relationship has been boldly transformed thanks to the Internet and other technological magic such as Skype, webcams, online chat, and other media.

Couples who once would never have trekked into the tough world of long distance dating, are suddenly giving in to the idea of cross country lovers. I have been in several long distance relationships over the past 7 years, and while they are very difficult, today's technology made it easier for me to bear the distance.

Technology has completely re-created long distance dating, and made it a very common occurrence. Since online dating has become a trend, many people are looking outside their towns, states, and countries, for their soulmates. It has become a new trend for couples to fly cross country to be with one another, and at times, battle immigration in separate countries to make the ultimate commitment.

While I would never go so far as to say that long distance relationships are convenient, the tools we have available certainly make it easier to handle. Because of how far we have come with technology, couples no longer have to compromise on who lives where, who gives up their life, etcetera. Although I'm still surprised to hear of couples deciding to keep their lives separate while having been together for several years, I also understand it. Technology and travel has made it much easier to live separate, but committed lives as a couple.

Long distance relationships forever beg the question of their authenticity. When I first talked with my husband online, we began speaking on the phone nightly, and sometimes even several times a day. We talked about everything imaginable and questioned each other on everything from religious beliefs to our favorite types of ice cream. I felt I really knew him when he arrived via plane to visit me in person two months later, and there was no question in my heart I was in love.

Anyone who has not experienced an online or long distance relationship will often fail to understand the complexity and depth that is involved. Couples who have to work through the drudgery of long distance dating can know each other more intimately than those who live just down the road from each other. This is not always the case, but couples who have to fight against the odds to be together can have a deeper sense of appreciation for their significant other-whether friend or lover.

The transformation of long distance relationships in just the past 10 years has gone from taboo to common. I don't even blink and eye when someone tells me they met their husband or wife online, or that they have friends they're going to visit in California that they've never met before. Our society has thankfully become more accepting of the technology that has changed the face of relationships.

The evolution of long distance relationships is an amazing thing, and it has brought a lot of joy, as well as pain, to those who have experienced it. As with anything new, it is always good to be sensible and guarded in your online relationships. Technology has brought many advances, but unfortunately nothing can make up for common sense and a good sense of self.