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Friday,
February 13, 2004 |
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Just
give me a little love, please
COMMENTARY
Braden Howell
Let
me go ahead and immediately separate myself from the masses
by saying that I love Valentine’s Day. Yes, I have
a girlfriend, but that in no way influences my view of
Valentine’s Day. In fact, my girlfriend hates Valentine’s
Day. So, even in my relationship, I am alone in my feelings.
For years, I have listened to people complain about what
a terrible day Valentine’s Day is. How it makes single
people feel bad about being single, and how it forces
people to be romantic for no specific reason. It comes
as no surprise that I am once again surrounded by such
rants.
A leading argument of the anti-Valentine’s Day militants
is that it puts pressure on men to be romantic. As a male,
I can only respond with, “What is wrong with that?”
So what if men feel a little extra pressure to be romantic
on Valentine’s Day? If there’s one thing the
world, and more specifically relationships, could all
use a little more of, it is love.
Let’s face it, men are not always on their most romantic
behavior, so why is it so wrong for a man to go out of
his way to be romantic on Valentine’s Day?
And it doesn’t need to be a one-sided thing either.
What is wrong with a woman taking the extra time on this
one day of the year to be a little more romantic? I am
sure men would love for their girlfriends to take a little
extra time to do something special for them.
Too often Valentine’s Day is used as a scapegoat.
A time when you can requite for 364 days of lovelessness
with one day of all-out, over-the-top romanticism.
This is unfortunate, but why should we punish the day
of love because people try to make up for lost time? I
firmly believe both men and women should be romantic as
much as possible, but with so much going on and lives
moving at 1,000 mph, what’s wrong with holding on
to one day when nothing else matters but love?
Barring the Valentine’s Day haters, I don’t
know anyone who does not enjoy special occasions, and
it boggles my mind that people could be so against a special
occasion dedicated to love!
I know that many of the sentiments I express are not shared
by other men, and obviously even some women have their
issues with Valentine’s Day. To those people, I suggest
it is time to think outside of the box, and look at Valentine’s
Day on a much grander scale.
Valentine’s Day does not have to be all about relationships.
I have been through many Valentine’s without a girlfriend,
21 to be exact, and I have always loved this most amorous
of days.
You do not need to be in love to be able to express love.
Valentine’s Day is a great day to remind your family
how much you love them and your friends how much they
mean to you. There is no Valentine’s Day rule-book
that says you can only express love to someone whom you
are in love with.
Love is the greatest of all human emotions, and I believe
everyone enjoys knowing that someone loves them. Valentine’s
Day evokes a wide array of emotions in people, but I can’t
help but think of a most appropriate line from one of
my favorite movies, Moulin Rouge.
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just
to love, and be loved in return.” |
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