When I was younger, I used to think that modern-day communication methods could turn every tragedy into a happy ending:

Romeo would have known about Juliet's fake death if they had mobile phones and just phoned each other. The lovers in The Notebook wouldn't have to endure all that heartbreak caused by "the hiding of the letters" if Noah had just emailed Allie and if Allie had a password that her mother would have never been able to work out.  Tristan could have explained everything to Isolde before she agreed to marry the king by a simple sms. Sweeney Todd's tragedy could have been solved by keeping up with his love's Facebook status updates. Atonement, Parineeta, Brokeback Mountain, Devdas…all of the lovers could have avoided the tragedies they faced with personalized modern technology.

I was wrong. With a million ways to communicate, the art of communicating has turned into a series of miscommunications. The use of words strung together in poetic depth has transformed into short spurts of syllables. That undying essence of love has eroded into 2 a.m. booty calls, divorces, and unfulfillment. Yeah, there were prostitutes, rapists, lustful encounters, and unhappy marriages in those days of poetic love, but nowadays, true love seems almost impossible. There are no more compromises in the name of love; people demand more; people are too busy to give but ever keen to take; people give up too easily.

Our lives have been engulfed by instant gratifications. No one wants to settle; they just want what they want.

This is not only in regard to relationships but also to health care, weight-loss programs, food, child care, and employment. Every day I see articles and advertisements on how to make yourself instantly happier!

Is your job making you unhappy? Ditch it today!

Are you constantly tired? Product X instantly revitalizes you!

Need to shed off those stubborn kilos? Lose 10 kg in 2 weeks!

It's everywhere. Easy fixes. And when it comes to love, people expect the same: an easy fix. Tolerance, patience, and unconditional love seems to have been lost within the category of "old fashioned." Today it feels as if all there is is fast love. Holding out for a hero seems like an eternal pursuit with a 0.5 success rate.

But hey, what is life without hope?

Tharuna Devchand