With Valentine’s Day in less than a week, something that I’ve been noticing for months is even more prevalent this time of year. I’ve seen countless posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr over the last few weeks proclaiming how this holiday “proves” in some shape or form that certain people will be forever alone. Those who are unhappy with their relationships or lack thereof are dreading the 14th, where love is celebrated in its cheesiest form.

This doesn’t apply to everyone, of course, because there are countless singles or those in relationships that love the idea of love. Unfortunately though, this is more of a rarity than the latter.

Our generation’s negative view of love is not a new concept, unfortunately. Over the years, as our generation has matured and gotten older, we have given the idea of love and showing love a very negative connotation. The idea of showing your affection or being happy with someone makes us angry, bitter, and we are sick of seeing it. When we see a happy couple or the giant teddy bears lining the aisles of the local drugstore, we get irritated and want to block it all out.

I think a lot of this has come from bad relationships in the past. Our generation is now known for messed up relationships and broken hearts. When something bad happens and a relationship ends, we tend to take it to the extreme. There is so much more to life than sassily subtweeting someone who hurt you or getting revenge. After something like this happens, we grow bitter and angry at the idea of love. So many of us are heartbroken over small moments and people who, in the long run, aren’t worth our time or energy.

Along with this, we’ve gotten used to being jealous of what other people have. If someone has a happy relationship and we don’t, we’re usually more jealous about it than happy for them. This is a very negative way of thinking and we need to learn that we can’t compare someone's life to our own. Fights happen, breakups happen, and people will hurt us. This doesn’t mean that we are going to be “forever alone” or that we have to push away anyone who tries to get closer to us.

Our generation needs to realize that happy relationships are a good thing. It’s okay to be in love and to show it off and to celebrate someone who makes you happy. It’s okay to love someone other than yourself. We have grown accustom to the idea that if we depend on or put someone before ourselves sometimes, we are in the wrong. It is perfectly okay to be in a relationship, and it is perfectly okay to be single. What matters is that we are happy and that we are not holding onto unhealthy feelings from the past.