The first time I ever heard about speed dating was when I watched Will

The first time I ever heard about speed dating was when I watched Will Smith as he portrayed Alex "Hitch" Hitchens in the blockbuster entitled "Hitch". When things got wrong with Hitch and Sarah Melas (Eva Mendes), Melas went to a speed dating venue. Now how does this new method of dating work?

Several men and women who are wanting to meet somebody they could go out with and get to know better come together at this speed dating place. The ladies are seated on one side of a very long table while the men go from one seat to the next trying to get the best of a five-minute conversation with a lady. When the bell is sounded, the men rise from their seats and find their way to the next lady. This is speed dating. It is exciting, fun-filled, and thrilling. But does it really equal the real first date?

This kind of dating is not very popular from where I grew up. And coming from a very conservative culture and family, I'd say speed dating is not accepted by us. Yes, it may be a new kind of adventure, but if one really hopes to get the lasting kind of relationship, the real actual dating method still works best.

However, I want to be fair in my writing so I will try to weigh the pros and cons of such speed dating.

Speed dating indeed gives us a chance to widen our pool of contacts. With only one setting, we get to meet more than 20 new people to add to our friends list. We don't normally meet that much people with other methods. Furthermore, it's also an avenue for us to express ourselves and interact with different kinds of people. Speed dating may also afford us to meet someone whom we can really be close to.

On the other hand, speed dating may also give us false hopes about meeting the right person. When we are so obsessed about finally meeting "the one", we might end up meeting all the wrong ones first. It can also be possible that the people who engage in this kind of dating may only be out there for plain fun with no seriousness in their body.

It is human nature for us to want to settle down someday. We want to spend the rest of our borrowed life with someone who is going to make us see life's beauty. And all these begin with dating. No matter what method of dating we use, what is important is that we should always be careful. Always be on your guard until this guy you date decides to pop the question and make you his wife.