Don’t blame Valentine’s Day
America is overflowing with lonely hearts, hopeless romantics and perfectly happy couples. Whether we are spending our days alone or in dreamy romances, Valentine’s Day is among us. No matter how many people wish it would just fade from our society all together with its overpriced chocolate and overly pink paraphernalia, it remains a strong force in February’s existence.
It does not matter if we are single or not. It does not matter if we have someone to run to or if we are fatefully alone. We all know that a lot of people do not like the holiday. It’s popular to believe that it’s overly commercialized and entirely too cliché. I don’t think that is the holiday’s intention though.
It is not Valentine’s Day’s fault that Target and Wal-Mart have entirely too many pink aisles or that some couples are too dramatic in their public romances. So, maybe we should not blame Valentine’s Day for all of these negative repercussions.
There is no rule book saying that in order to celebrate Valentine’s Day, everyone must spend money on tacky presents for each other or spend the day displaying their affection towards another person for the world to see.
These are not the only ways to appreciate Valentine’s Day. It’s possible to dislike the commercial products and media-based representation of Valentine’s Day without hating the day.
A lot of people claim that there’s no need for Valentine’s Day in a good relationship because every single day should be filled with love. This is true, but who said you couldn’t spend one day celebrating this love for the sake of celebrating?
Valentine’s Day is not just a day for acknowledging the fact that you love someone, Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the fact that you love that person every day. More than that, Valentine’s Day is simply about celebrating the act of loving in general.
It doesn’t matter if love is between romantic lovers, best friends or mere strangers. It’s not about acknowledging that you love a specific person; it’s about acknowledging and celebrating that love exists in your life and the world. Pointing fingers at Valentine’s Day with disgust because of whatever reason is like pointing fingers at love and saying it’s not worthy of celebration.
Love is one of the most influential parts of each of our lives. It drives our emotions, decisions and lives in general. Love motivates us to move forward and be happy. Love motivates us to care for each other and spread our happiness across our lives. Love connects our world. Something this important and powerful deserves its own holiday. It deserves celebration and joy.
There are negative aspects to most things in our society, but we keep them around regardless. We still love amazing movies regardless of a few bad actors. We still go to Maryville College regardless of a few bad meals and difficult courses. We still love our parents regardless of a few fights in high school.
So, why do we insist on hating Valentine’s Day because of a few cliché Hallmark cards and obnoxious couples? Valentine’s Day deserves respect, not for Valentine’s Day for its commercial factors or for St. Valentine, but for love.
Instead of putting up our guards and shying away from the holiday all together, why don’t we come together as a society and reshape the world’s view of Valentine’s Day? Why don’t we show the media that we do not care about chocolate and teddy bears? Why don’t we embrace love, rather than cliché rituals?
Those cliché rituals are not what Valentine’s Day’s is about. The clichés merely got sloppily associated with what we should be positively embracing, which is a celebration of love.