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Always thought it was a really stupid phrase. It's false hope. Yeah, there's a bunch of people in the world, how many of those are you going to actually run in to and talk with? Most likely less than 1%.
If you travel a lot, you'll see more people. If you don't travel, then you're stuck with whatever population the town/city you live in, and how many people are in your age range and are single and want to date? Not that many.
The problem with singles dating sites, singles meetups, 8 minute dating or singles dances is that the only commonality you share with certainty is that you are both single. The stronger bonds of sharing lifeview, values, interests that lead to long term relationships are rare to find in such venues. I have a few friends who found their mates through OLD. I know they had to play it as a numbers game, go on many many dates before finding the right one.
I think pursuing interests and getting out and meeting more people, making new friends romantic and non-romantic is a better way for many of us.
Next time you're in a public place with lots of people like the airport or a mall, look around. Assume they're all single. Now ask yourself how many you find attractive. You'd probably eliminate people pretty quickly based on things like gender, age, weight, etc. In terms of percentage, I think you'll discover that your final pool of acceptable choices is actually pretty small.
It doesn't matter if the phrase "plenty of fish in the sea" is true or not. The intent behind someone saying that to you (or you thinking that to yourself) is to attempt to lift the other person's spirits (or to keep your own head up).
The reality is, while there are many millions of single adults out there...the vast majority of adults in their mid-20s or older are in some sort of relationship. And furthermore, most emotionally healthy people, after breaking up with someone...will find someone new fairly soon afterwards. College is really the last time most people will organically be surrounded by folks who are single. That is one of a few reasons why many collegiate students are strongly encouraged to join clubs, attend parties, network, etc. Build up that social circle; it will pay dividends in multiple ways for the rest of your life. Post-college, assuming you are employed full-time...you will have to put in more effort on your own to meet new people; you and other adults will have less time for social activities; many people become more cautious, selective (and perhaps cynical) about who they acquaint themselves with. Your windows of opportunity will be much slimmer.
You misinterpret the meaning of it. Doesn't mean there are lots and lots of people for each person. It just means there is more than one maybe several people who are good fits for each of us, not just one.Despite the caterwauling of romance singers the likes of Michael Bolton, there is not just a one and only.
You misinterpret the meaning of it. Doesn't mean there are lots and lots of people for each person. It just means there is more than one maybe several people who are good fits for each of us, not just one.Despite the caterwauling of romance singers the likes of Michael Bolton, there is not just a one and only.
It's not the meaning so much as how we use the phrase that I take issue with. It's used to give people false hope. Telling someone who just got turned down for a date that there are plenty of fish in the sea is like telling someone who just got turned down for a job that there are plenty of other jobs out there. Of course there are other jobs. But how many of those would you even want? And of those, how many do you have a realistic chance of getting? This is the point I was trying to make in my original post. Imagine telling a gay person living in the most conservative town in America that there are plenty of fish in his sea? Imagine telling a guy who's only 5'4" that there are plenty of women in his town. This is why I never try to console my single friends who are frustrated with dating by offering up this phrase. It's almost insulting to give them such false hope.
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