UNIT 1: FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIPS
My name‿ is Kevin. I used dating‿ apps for two years│ an(d) then stopped,│ not because they fail to work│ but because they rewar(d) precisely the qualities that matterma-der least‿ in‿ a lasting relationship.
An‿ app presents‿ a photograph,│ an‿ age,│ a job‿ an(d) two sentences,│ and‿ asks you to make‿ a judgement│ that‿ it describes‿ as compatibility. What‿ it‿ actually measures‿ is confidence‿ of‿ a fairly superficial kind,│ and‿ it punishes‿ anybody│ who is shy or willing to be vulnerable,│ because vulnerability does not photograph well. My cousin,│ who is quieter than me,│ drew almos(t) no matches‿ an(d) concluded│ that he was‿ unattractive. That conclusion was manufactured by a sorting mechanism.
What‿ I have come to believe‿ is that compatibility develops late‿ an(d) cannot be assessed‿ in‿ a chat. You cannot know│ whether you can reciprocate somebody's‿ affection│ until you have been bored together,│ argued‿ about money an(d) paid‿ a bill‿ in silence. If‿ I were‿ advising‿ a friend,│ I would say take‿ it slowly an(d) judge the person by how they behave│ when they are tired. Chemistry is‿ a fine prospec(t) for the firs(t) three months;│ a sustainable relationship‿ is built‿ on something more‿ ordinary,│ an(d) settling down‿ on the strength‿ of‿ an‿ exciting‿ October‿ is‿ a mistake that people repeat with great‿ enthusiasm.