By Jen Mok

Contributing Writer

Valentine’s Day – What’s the big deal?

I am by no means against Valentine’s Day. I am simply baffled by the concept of a national holiday dedicated to love. In simple terms, I just do not understand. And no, it is not because I am single or even a dark individual consumed with hate for the very concept of relationships and love. I just do not understand.

What exactly about Valentine’s Day do I not understand? The chocolate, the flowers, the cards, the excessive amounts of red, the lingerie, the extravagant dates or the cultural need for a day devoted to the sentiments of love? The most bothersome of those listed above is undoubtedly our society’s need to dedicate one specific day for those in love.

Valentine’s Day is a blatant reminder, one that is marked in red on everyone’s calendar. It’s a day dedicated to reminding us about our spouses: both literal and imaginative. We are caught fixating on what is (and for those single perspectives, what would be) so wonderful about our better half. Couples claim that the hardships of relationships spawn from the very simple idea that love is difficult. They find it challenging to remember how to rekindle that first spark, that twinge of love, that began it all. Magically, Valentine’s Day (shared by every other couple in the world) is seemingly the perfect time to compromise, forgive, and love.

But isn’t being in love and in a relationship all about conquering those difficulties and staying true to what each other feels? Isn’t every day supposed to be dedicated to the one you love? Valentine’s Day seems to be used as an obligatory peace-offering day. It is as if the other 364 days of the year are spent in discontent with one another and this one day is utilized to show each other affection through, may I add, materialistic objects. I find it a bit upsetting that we need a holiday to remind us to be gracious to those we love and express feelings of appreciation for one another. The very concept of and theology behind love is that we are able to cherish and pour upon our beloved, gracious amounts of admiration and adoration each and every moment. So why have a single, isolated day specifically dedicated to such an act?

The contradictions within the very concept of Valentine’s Day are beyond bewildering. This cultural phenomenon of reuniting couples on a particular date dismisses the very fact that every other day can and should be treated as Valentine’s Day.