For every idea that one supports or endorses, there will always be another person who opposes. Perhaps you advocate for a particular candidate to win a primary election, but your colleague supports a different candidate. People will always try to scrutinize your opinions, and it’s quite the fundamental skill to combat such scrutiny. This is the case with everyone's favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day. Many folks adore the idea of Valentine’s Day, a day of love and romance, but others, even some who are in a relationship, refuse to accept the very principle of the day. To those who oppose Valentine’s Day -- keep reading.
The main argument I’ve heard from the opposition is that you can love your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, partner, or whomever every day of the year. Why should we designate a particular day? And this is a valid point. However, there is no immorality in designating a specific day of love. As an American, I am proud to call America my country every day, but I just so happen to celebrate a bit more on Independence Day (July 4). And I am very much a Christian who attends church and is familiar with the Bible, but I just so happen to be more active around Christmas time and Easter. And what about Memorial Day? Do we forget about the brave individuals who died for our nation during the other 364 days of the year? Certainly not. This sacrifice is so honorable that it deserves its own day to be commemorated. Love is powerful, too, and is equally deserving of a day dedicated to its celebration. This fallacious notion of “you should love your significant other every day” fails to take into account the other holidays in which contradict this opinion.
And then, of course, there’s the single guy or gal who views Valentine’s Day as just another day to be without love. It is this perspective that I most sympathize with, but do not condone. Instead of using Valentine's Day as a day to binge-watch movies based on Nicholas Sparks novels and eat ice cream, why not go out and change the way things are? If you’re sad because you're single, go out to a bar or club and mingle. If you’re sad because you’re in a long-distance relationship and you can't see your significant other, write them a letter. Use this day as a source of inspiration to bring you out of your rut and to defeat this negative bias you possess against Valentine's Day.
I suppose the last perspective of opposition to Valentine’s Day is from those who must go to work on this holiday. If you are a waitress or waiter at a restaurant, then Valentine’s Day is not your calmest night. Just remember all of the happy couples whose night was made great by your service. Don’t let your negativity of the day affect anyone else’s ability to enjoy it.
So, yes, Valentine's Day means much more than handing out silly little cards like elementary school kids do. It means loving the one who means so much to you, doing something to find love, or respecting the love that already exists; it’s a day dedicated to love.
