Valentine's Day: Is It Real Love? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

Valentine's Day: Is It Real Love?

Why millennials get along so well with Valentine's Day.

295
Valentine's Day: Is It Real Love?
Alexa Jenkins

With Valentines Day coming up quickly, I have been doing a lot of reflecting about love and how I define it. Then I realize how the millennial generation, much like this pointless holiday of love, has such a backwards idea of what true love is.

In a way, my generation’s definition of love is much like Valentines Day. They define it based off of superficial, chocolate filled hearts and the number of flowers delivered to their doorstep. They want a big romantic gesture to put on twitter to brag, and an expensive necklace to show all their friends. In short, they live for the very good days, the days where they are showered with gifts and attention.

But here’s the thing; Valentines Day is overrated, and so is the new definition of love.

What we don’t have is a day opposite to Valentine’s Day. Maybe like a “fight day” where we acknowledge that love is not always rainbows. A day that shows that love is beyond life-size teddy bears, diamond rings, and edible arrangements. Love takes effort, grit, patience, and most importantly, forgiveness.

Because the fact is, love is not always perfect like Valentines Day and my generation expects it to be. As much as it is full of chocolates and flowers, it is also full of tears and heartache. The true definition of love is not defined by the things they get you, or how many retweets you get on a picture, or even whether or not people label you as “goals”.

Real love, true love, that we seem to have lost sight of is the love that doesn’t waver during your “fight days”. A love that embodies forgiveness and recognizes your own faults, and accepting your partners for theirs.

It has been proven recently that divorce rates have skyrocketed. I’m no psychologist, but I learned from my Science of Relationship class that this is due to people’s lack of ability to get over the bump. People believe that your significant other needs to meet all of your physical and emotional needs, which, to be blunt is, naive and impossible.

People have to realize that just as much as the person you love makes you happy, there are days where they will make you sad. The key is not to get divorced the minute the honeymoon effect wears off, but to work past the bump with complete dedication to the relationship and I think people have lost sight of that. So for this Valentine’s Day, I encourage everyone to rethink how they define love because when used and defined correctly there is nothing more fragile, and quite frankly, beautiful.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

180541
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

7523
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

452692
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

23399
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments