The textbook resting in my hands had gone mostly unread through the two-hour drive to Erie, Pa. Though homework had piled up during the first week of classes, my Labor Day drive with two of my closest friends was instead filled with tunes from a mix CD.

Disney songs sucked the whole car into a nostalgic sing-along, while show tunes had me actually attempting to put a dent in my readings. Other songs, like The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,” got me thinking.

While John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr may be some of the most revolutionary and well-known musicians ever to grace the planet, the lyrics they wrote are strangely inaccurate.

Though Lennon’s sentiment behind “All You Need Is Love” is heart-warming and sweet, it is sadly mistaken.

Those who think like this aren’t living life to its fullest. They’re focusing on one aspect of something with billions of opportunities.

In a society where radio, books and movies perpetuate the idea that “All You Need Is Love,” I am taking a stand.

It seems like every few days, my Facebook news feed is telling me some friends of mine just got into a relationship, engaged or even married. They’re having children and talking about how much they love each other.

At the same time, my news feed is telling me about all the ending relationships, all the heartache, all the depression.

I just can’t wrap my head around it. We’re all still so young. To be entirely honest, I don’t see most of these relationships lasting more than a year or so. The word “love” is thrown around so willingly today that I just don’t believe it anymore.

Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t believe in love. I really do believe in it. It’s just hard to believe when people tell me they’ve found it and six months later, they’re sitting on a couch some place with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, crying their eyes out.

I could throw facts at you saying how high America’s divorce rate is, but I don’t think that would get my point across. So I’ll just lay it down on the line.

True love is rare. While millions of people claim to be in love, to have found their soulmates, I disagree. If you’re lucky enough to really find true love, that’s great. I may not believe you, but at least you’ll be happy.

Just do me a favor: Try not to take yourselves so seriously. While you may believe the lyrics in those Beatles songs, there’s more to life than love. It’s only part of the equation.

Nick Glunt is a senior magazine journalism major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected] .