Where Not to Find Someone to Date.

by Jeffrey Hilton

The problem with dating is that more and more organizations and places discourage dating. For example you might be familiar with the expression don’t dip your pen in the company ink. In some situations dating a co-worker is a punishable concept. There are sexual harassment lawsuits and company policies involving termination. So pretending we all agree work is a bad place to find a date lets move on to somewhere else. How about church, perhaps even one with the title singles ward. I can remember growing up with the idea that you don’t date someone in your ward or congregation. It was just engrained in me some how. I figured it was because they were in my home family ward. When I attended my first singles ward it seemed like a great idea. Singles from many family wards taken and put in the same ward. Of the singles I interviewed many said a singles ward is a bad place to find someone to date. They said that if you date someone there and things don’t work out you have to face that person every week at church. While visiting our Elders group a brother from the High Council of my stake said we shouldn’t date the women we home teach. In my older brother’s ward one of his leaders said that most likely the singles in that ward weren’t going to marry each other. With that said church must not be the place to find someone to date. Even if your ward is a singles ward.

Maybe a dance is the place to meet potential dates. Well the music is too loud for two strangers to get to know each other. The music is typically going to be a slow song four or less times throughout the length of the dance. One dance I was at people began moshing. It became bad enough at one point that the DJ stopped the music and had to lecture the dancers. My jaw dropped when he said, “You guys need to stop moshing or we will be forced to play all slow songs.” I was flabbergasted. You mean that in order to get the slow songs I had been hoping would play all night all I had to do was break the rules of the dance? It boggles my mind that playing slow songs would be offered as a punishment.

Most singles go to dances in a group and aren't interested in meeting new people or dating outside the group they came with. One time I danced with a girl, flirted with her and when I asked her for her number she told me, “Sorry, I don’t give my phone number out at dances.”

So I can’t believe I’m saying it but a dance is not somewhere to find someone to date.

No wonder the Internet is such a popular place to meet someone. Every other place has a no dating policy. So if you want to date, meet someone online. Be careful because it can be dangerous.

Some people will have better luck in places I haven’t been lucky. Some people will find these places wonderful for finding dates. I guess it will be left up to chance. Everywhere I go dating is not advised.

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