Addicted to Romance?

 

I’ve always taken pride in the fact that I have no addictions. Coffee never tasted right to me and despite my roommate’s attempts to convert me to the caffeine addicted masses, I escaped unscathed.

Smoking was always a no brainer, I enjoy fresh clean air too much and have a rather sensitive nose. Being Muslim, alcohol was never an issue and so I felt pretty good about that. A little too smug. Now I’m realizing that I might be mistaken. Sure I’m not addicted to any illegal substances, nor do I have any yearning for things that may cause me physical harm, but I’m starting to suspect that I do have an addiction. An addiction to fantasy and romance. I’ve always loved books and movies and that feeling of being transported to another place and another reality. I was the kid that was enthralled with those old black and white TNT classic movies like Gone with the Wind, Gigi, Singing in the Rain and the like. I would be so absorbed that I couldn’t hear my mother calling me though she was in the same room as me. I would spend hours reading Jane Austen, Lois Lowry and so many authors too numerous to count. Whether their stories were political like 1984 and Animal Farm, or fictionalized histories like Les Miserables or a Tale of Two Cities it made no difference. Whether they were short stories, novels or thousand page books like Fountainhead I loved them. I loved getting lost in those worlds, in those fantasies. And for the brief moments I was reading those books I was in my own universe, and I was riding my own kind of high. One that wouldn’t end when I turned the last page because the stories were still with me, still in my mind.

Recently I read somewhere that romance is an invention of the western world. Something that’s designed like television and malls to distract the masses and make them more pliable and controllable. I understand the power of the media to divert us, to force their opinions on us and to give us either a favorable or a negative perception of an event. The biggest example being the media’s one dimensional portrayal of Islam and Muslims.

That’s why I started thinking deeper about my love of books and romance and whether it’s a good or a bad thing. And how bad or how good it is. Like millions of people around the world, I fell in love with Twilight and I devoured the other three books, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Like many women I love the idealized version of romance portrayed by Edward and Bella. But I understand that it’s false and I don’t agree with everything in the stories. But I can’t help but wonder. Has my perception of reality been irrevocably altered by the years and years of romance in my head from books and movies? Do I unconsciously expect any man vying for my affections to be a perfect gentleman like Edward? To be so overcome like Mr. Darcy? Do I have an unrealistic idea of what men are capable of being? And have I turned away decent perfectly wonderful men because I dreamed of more? I wonder if my addiction will be my downfall. Have I turned myself so completely into a heroine like the characters in the books I’ve read. Am I stubbornly and pointlessly waiting for my amalgam of Mr. Perfect and Prince Charming to show up someday? And is the world of romance just setting me up for failure? Is the illusion of romance responsible for the increasing rates of divorce in our generation? Do more and more women (and some men too) go into marriage with ridiculous notions of what love and marriage are? Do they then end up being disappointed not because their reality is bad, but because their expectations were too unrealistic?

I don’t have the answers, but I am making the effort to think about it, and I’m wondering if anyone else is as well…?

5 Comments
  1. I agree with you Aneesah, I’ve also read about romance being a construct of the western world and even in some places of the devil or of the free masons. I think you raise some valid concerns. The biggest danger I see with books, romance and fantasy is that of time. Reading or watching movies are fun, but they do take up time. Movies used to be 90 mins long now they’re almost always two hours long and we still end up wanting more. We can watch movies every single day of our lives for hours on end and never get bored, but when it comes to reading the Quran, it quickly becomes difficult and a chore. And I remember as a child watching chuck norris movies I think it was air force one or something and we were cheering on the Americans. And I remember later my brother saying why is it that America is always the good guy in movies, and the Muslims are the bad guys? And we always end up cheering for the Americans and booing at the Muslims and even enjoying it when they got blown up!! Talk about being brain washed. Is it because we tell ourselves that it’s only a movie and in the movie the Muslims are the bad guys? Or is it just a very subtle way of teaching young people and the world to accept that America is good and Muslims are bad? I’m glad you posted on this topic because I think we as Muslims need to become more aware of ourselves and of the times we live in. We’ve been warned about the dajjal and during his time, things that seem good will in reality be bad and things that seem bad will in reality be good. I hope more people read this and add their thoughts.

  2. Salam…..I completely agree with Aneesah…most times we are to busy seeking perfection in our men,wanting and waiting for that prince to come and save us and sweep us off our feet forgetting that this is reality. I’m not saying we should settle for less but we should be real and know that no man can be a prefect lover i just know that the only man who was the definition of a perfect husband is Rasul (SAW).So lets remind ourselves always that we cant get a perfect man put we can only appreciate and accept the ones available and probably perfect them in our eyes….

  3. Salam to all,

    Aneesah is on the $$$!

    I’m sure you’re all familiar with the saying “Your body is a temple.” Everything you consume, be it food, listening to music or seeing in image has some kind of impact on your soul. That it why it is our responsibiility to act as filters/gatekeepers of the windows to our souls; to let in the good for growth/development and keep out the bad in order to prevent contamination/destruction. What one chooses to read/view (or not to read/view) is in and of itself an act that not only sculpts, but like mirror, reflects a personal identity.

    Here’s a perfect example: My 2 year old daughter likes to watch Noggin (now nickjr). After Thanksgiving season, nearly every show and every other song was related to Christmas.
    It was in those moments, I would find other activities for us to do together. Raising a muslima in a predominantly Christian society is a challenge! Where is the literature that says “Eid Mubarak” ; Where are the cartoons that show little kids making salat or doing an act of charity. I’m not saying Islam is the only religion that promotes good behavior, but I don’t want my daughter to second guess her identity because it is being challenged/shaped by mainstream christian media. That’s why I’m seriously considering removing the TV altogether, and buying a set of DVDs which I can preview prior to her viewing them.

    Media: written or visual has the power to do what the media has always done–make STRONG SUBLIMINAL SUGGESTIONS. A picture is plotted, and we the consumers, are left to connect the dots and draw implied conclusions. Between Magazines, television/net, music, media determines the following (if only to list a few): What constitutes beauty, what is considered art, what’s considered ugly,what’s considered socially acceptable, and LET’S NOT FORGET, what’s “politically correct” (etc.On a side note, is it me or does the world seem to be increasingly lacking moral behavior? Just thought I’d throw that one out there).

    I’m as guilty as everyone else when it comes to reading fiction for entertainment (fantasies/romance/thrillers/etc.), have you ever noticed how your mind tends to wander back to that particular book or particular movie scence at the most inopportune moments?

    It seems I’ve been going on and on…Well let me wrap up with this. Anything and everything we come in contact with/experience (however grand or however miniscule) effects us. It effects our views of self and others and subsequently the choices we make and the consequences there of. We can only pray that along the way, we pick up the good and leave the bad.

  4. Love and romance were not invented by the West. Love and romance have been around for years in European literature. Heck, the Song of Soloman in the Bible is all about love, romance and even sex!I have heard many people, who have experienced true love,who find almost no appeal in New Moon. Real love is way better than that! Is that type of romantic love sustainable over the course of an entire marriage? I don’t think so, I think it comes and goes BUT the key is that couples know this and not freak out and get divorced when they are on the lower end. In my opinion, the elder people who tell us younger people that love and romance is a western (ie evil) thing are just saying that to justify the arranged marriages they are pressuring the youth to enter. I think a lot of the elders have never even experienced true romantic passionate love so they dismiss is as if it was bad. They say “oh love will come with time in an arranged marriage”. I think that is very dangerous and scary. Lots of time it wont come and often times at best the most that the love evolves to is a companion type of love. It makes me feel so sad for the people who were blindly arranged in marriages. Ladies, there is nothing wrong with looking for a little romance in your future husband. It might not come naturally to men but it is something that they can definitely learn and should be happy to learn if it will please their wife. When you meet the right guy, it will be romantic and you will have butterflies and feel intoxicated with love. I think it is natural for some people who do not have something to knock it, when in reality they covet it. Its the same with the “romance is western” naysayers. I honestly think half of them are jealous and the other half of them are ignorant to what it means due to never having experienced it.

  5. I always agreed that the creation of false or exaggerated perfection that media and the likes of fiction, movies, songwriters lyrics and so on potray is a great diversion from our beliefs.Islam in its boundaries is enough for us to enjoy life in moderation and YES we have to make sacrifices to acknowlege our testimony.As muslims, we have to let go of alot.Addictions certainly is among.As bad as alcohol, everything that destroys our real is indeed our enemy.We marry imperfect men not perfect angels, we live imperfect lives and in ourselves are all imperfect women so enough of the deciet and lets face reality.Islam is worth dumping our addictions.I really have enjoyed reading this and Susu your comment rocks!Nusrah and Jami (wink wink 2 u)Good work sisters.