This holiday creeps up every year right in the middle of cuffing season. Commonly known as Valentine’s Day, Saint Valentine or Feast of Saint Valentine, depending on what pat of the world you live in, is observed on February 14 each year. It is known for being the only holiday of the year associated with romantic love. It is an occasion in which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines“) as a symbol of their affection. So, why do people hate it so much? What is it about love that brings about feelings of anxiety, stress, and anger? I’ve never understood how could anyone despise a holiday that encourages happiness, warmth, and appreciation. It appears that not only do single people loathe this holiday, but apparently some lovers hate it too. From what I’ve gathered, the biggest reason people dislike February 14th so much is due to the fact that a holiday that was initially established to bring couples closer together has been transformed into a commercial spectacle peddled to us by florists, greeting card companies, jewelry stores and makers of stuffed animals. But wait a minute, that’s not all. The ostentatious displays of public affection is another reason why people don’t like it. People feel that they can do without seeing red hearts at every turn and they can definitely do without the annoying nauseating Facebook status updates. But, there has to be more to it than the above generic reasons people give. I’ve concluded that Valentine’s Day isn’t the ugly culprit. It’s people and their fixations on love and keeping score of what other people are doing in general on this day.
Many of us show appreciation to our parents all year long, however, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are also a few holidays that encourage us to show appreciation to them in the form of flowers, gifts, and candy. And, if the issue with Valentine’s Day is truly the ridiculous notion that you have to spend money to show someone you care, then why isn’t the very same argument being made about the useless spending being done on Black Friday, Birthdays and Christmas?
So Where Does All of the Loathing Really Come From?
We celebrate Woman Crush Wednesdays and Man Crush Mondays each week like they’re official holidays. Everyone has a #bae in their heads even when one doesn’t exist in their reality. Love envy is real. Everyone wants to get shot in the ass by dear old cupid’s arrow. The problem is that we secretly just wish that it didn’t come with stipulations. Competition, fear and pressure being the biggest stipulation of them all. People fear disappointment. Competition for men is the main reason women can’t stand women and men can’t stand being boggled down with the feelings of being pressured by women. The internet agrees with me. Have you ever noticed the kind of hashtags people post up that relates to love and relationships? A lot of us have developed an unhealthy obsession with the idea that somebody, somewhere is choosing you and it hurts to feel that someone is not. I’ll admit that it’s pretty funny to hear all the rage about a holiday symbolized by cute little cupids and fluffy things, however, such a holiday should never bring out the worst in people. At least not to the point where you are unleashing pent up aggression going on tirades about why Valentine’s Day sucks. It also contradicts the message we preach on a daily basis about how love is important and that love wins and should be shared. I don’t see the big deal about celebrating Valentine’s Day. Sure, you don’t need one day out of the whole year to show someone how special they are to you. But, this day could also be utilized to do something other than complain. Spending the day trying to convince people how much you don’t care about something so ‘stupid’ isn’t very productive. Nobody hates things they don’t care about. To unleash such pent-up aggression over a single day would only make you question why anyone would get so emotional over something they claim means nothing to them.
Believe me, I’m not trying to tell anyone what how they should feel about any day of the year, however; if people want to celebrate of all manifestations of love on a single day then let them. Lighten up. The current state of our world is showing us that hate, even the selective kind, gets us nowhere. Sometimes we take our partners for granted. Sometimes we’re not as nice to each other as we could be. Sometimes we just need a reason to be nice to each other. If Valentine’s Day is the appointed day to do so, then let people do them. A single gesture of love and affection on any day of the year, even when we don’t need it or want it, can bring a smile to our face. A compliment can even make someone’s day. Life can be very hard. Expressing to someone you care about with a card and/or trinket, should not be.
