For some, Valentine’s Day is a really nice time to show how much you care about your SO: you shower them with gifts and kisses, maybe go out for dinner, movie, etc. But for a great deal of people, it is just a reminder of the fact that they are single, which is never a fun topic to bring up in your mind over and over again. So why do we continue to perpetuate this almost elitist notion of a made-up holiday over-commercialized and dominated by values that “every relationship should strive for” and other bullshit lines like that? Because it pays to care, in a manner of speaking.

Just think about how many cards are bought each year, the pounds of chocolate, even the amount of roses. And think about all the jewelry purchased, the wilder outfits that a person might buy to set the mood just right. All that just to assert something that should have already been clear enough to distinguish. It puts a strain on existing relationships to be more loving and pressures those not already in one simply to make them more lonely and desperate.

I am lucky enough to be in an amazing relationship, and while every that I have said up until this point still stands in my mind as valid, I must secede that in some instances, the V-Day rituals simply work as conduits for the love that might very well be clear and apparent, and doesn’t detract from any feelings or bonds that are held between the two. For example, my girlfriend is one of the cheesiest people on the planet, but we’ve also been dating for over two years, and so I’ve taken up her habits and created a Pinterest album filled with every picture of us together and that she has sent me personally, along with a playlist of songs I made with her in mind and other things that make her smile. My point, though, is that it is not out of my desire to live up to Valentine’s Day itself that is pushing me to all of these grand gestures, it is my love for my girlfriend.

So what is the point of Valentine’s Day other than as a capitalist holiday to stuff your face and trade bad cards with each other? It should be seen as at most a reminder to show everyone you come in contact with the love that they deserve, as they are either receiving it in their lives already or they need a little extra love. There are far too many stories of people planning to do drastic things unless someone smiles in their direction, and on a day like Valentine’s Day, there should be no reason not to give everyone a little glimpse of all the love you have to give. I know I will try my best to show all the love I can give on campus, so I know that some of you guys will be able to do the same. :)