Valentine's Day Is For Everyone

 

    Valentine’s Day is a day associated with lavish consumption, rituals, expectations, and commercialism. Much of the romance is displayed with store-bought and marketing-driven exchanges, contrary to the unique personalized and intimate nature sometimes associated with Valentine’s Day. There are ways to express our love for others through gift exchange, Valentine (card) exchange, affection, food and drink preparation and consumption, and grooming/clothing.   Many of these behaviors revolve around intimacy and sexuality.  Some key meanings associated with these behaviors include:  “belongingness”, “altruism”, “affection and intimacy”, “mutual expectations”, “self-gifts”, and “negative feelings”. 

      Specific gender patterns emerge in our findings.  For some examples, we find that males are inclined to use gifts as a form of nonverbal communication. Females engage in self-gift behaviors, especially in relation to grooming rituals.  Members of both sexes do discuss themes of belongingness and romance in a non-materialistic manner; however, such themes are not devoid of marketed products and services.  We find that this holiday is associated with extremes depicting couples and affection as much as a month before February 14th –triggering feelings of warmth or disgust.

      Of course we celebrate Valentines making a special effort. On the day named after him, we celebrate each other and the life God has given us together. We do this because we choose to, not because anyone dictates anything to us.

      I agree that human love matters. We show love to our partners, friends, and family members. However, we can celebrate love every day and not only on a specific month of the year. We should celebrate the so-called human LOVE, but not someone else’s name. And in the celebration of love, the world should not dictate any standard of how and when it is to be celebrated.

      Valentine’s Day has long been an unwelcome prompt for many single people to reflect on their love life, but the celebration’s expansion beyond romantic love is a mercilessly equal-opportunity development. It takes the worst part of the holiday, the obligatory commercialism and foists it upon everyone who cares about anyone.

      This celebration of romantic love brings with it a common complaint, namely that Valentine’s Day serves to elevate this particular form of love above others.

 

Reference/s:

https://www.insights.uca.org.au/should-christians-celebrate-valentines-day/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228150577_A_Holiday_Loved_and_Loathed_A_Consumer_Perspective_of_Valentine's_Day

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/02/valentines-day-everyone-relationships/606580/

 https://mb.com.ph/2020/02/14/celebrating-valentines-day-the-filipino-way/