If you haven’t noticed, our society is obsessed with love. Finding “the one” has become the life goal of many people, and ABC knows that. This is why they created “The Bachelor,” a TV series dedicated to helping people find their true love in a matter of weeks.

If you have never seen the show, allow me to explain it to you. A handsome, charming man has the privilege to choose between 25 beautiful women who he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Over a period of six weeks, this man will go on dates to get to know each woman. There are group dates as well as one-on-one dates where he can explore his options. If certain girls suit his fancy, they will receive a rose that allows them to stay. If they don’t get a rose, they are forced to go home. Roses may be handed out on dates, but most are distributed at rose ceremonies.

Over the weeks, there are tears, yelling, jealousy, catfights, and romance. Needless to say, it is great entertainment! The thing is, this isn’t just a show. These are people’s lives and emotions that are at stake. If a woman has to go home, she will probably be dealing with deep insecurities for a long time. She will be feeling like something is wrong with her, because she wasn’t chosen. Regardless of how beautiful or successful the woman is, she will feel inadequate and crushed.

Even if a girl is absolutely in love with our Mr. Right, he can’t be fully in love with her. He will be distributing his love to many of these women, so none of them will be able to have his full devotion. Yes, they will be feeling loved and adored as he kisses them and takes them on romantic dates. The problem is, he is doing this with all the other women as well. I realize that this is for him to “explore his options,” but this is a sick way to do it. A woman should never have to prove to a man that she is worth loving. Ever.

After doing research on previous Bachelors, I realized that only one is still married to the women he chose on the show. Yep, only one out of eighteen bachelors. The rest either broke up fairly soon after the show ended or resulted in divorce.

“The Bachelor” is just a sad reminder of our society’s twisted view on love. It isn’t the show’s fault, because this is how the world is today. The divorce rate from 1950 to now has skyrocketed. It isn’t a surprise, really. In the past, gentlemen used to spend their time and energy pursuing and wooing young ladies. They weren’t pursuing many women at a single time, and they fought for the women they loved. These women never had to prove their worth to anyone, because they respected themselves and therefore were respected by others.

It breaks my heart to see how love has been cheapened. What was originally something designed to be beautiful and selfless has been turned into something that only satisfies yourself.