Of course Valentine’s Day feels overrated. The ever-evolving, mutating, vicious creature we know as commercialization has taken over every part of our lives. Modern society’s over-emphasis on hollow sentimentalism, to make up for a lack of true charity, means that flowers, chocolates, and well-written cards — gestures that might actually hold meaning — feel cheap and obligatory. Couples are indoctrinated by bootleg Hallmark brands and chocolate companies set upon making this year “the most special one yet.”
There is no recognition of personhood in Modern Romance. Check off the boxes, take her to dinner maybe, get her a card that says “Will you be my Valentine?” and maybe she won’t be upset at you for “not caring.” Right? It’s cheap, it’s fake, it’s vapid.
But actual Valentine’s Day, in which we celebrate love (the greatest reality there is), is anything but vapid. Love is so integral to humankind that it should be celebrated as much as possible. Sentimental? Yes. True? Yes. Rhetorical Questions? Also yes.
And that is why Valentine’s Day, though surely overly commercialized, kitschy, and sometimes downright stupid, has at its core something quite beautiful, which is the cry of the human spirit to love and be loved.
First, some context. Many forget that St. Valentine celebrated forbidden sacramental marriages, restored sight to a blind girl, converted her father and his household, and was a martyr. In other words, St. Valentine was based. Additionally, the blind girl’s father, the judge of a Roman province, released the Christian inmates under his jurisdiction after his conversion to Christianity. What a wonderful analogy for the reality of love.
Love illuminates our vision, bringing us to see people as they truly are and how we ought to see them. Love allows us to see others’ dignity and intrinsic goodness as created beings. Love converts our very being: when we are in love, don’t we yearn to see our beloved’s face light up when we walk in a room? Our entire disposition is changed.
Love points us towards the Divine, the ultimate reality of love: God. Behind the youth pastor’s whisper-yell of “God really, like, totally, wants to hang out. Cuz he loves you,” is a very real, vertical connection between the creature and his Creator. Philosopher Jean Luc-Marian actually argues that we only speak of God in terms of the totality of love, the only indescribable thing we can begin to imagine. Not to get overly philosophical or theological here (probably too late), but there is significance in setting aside a day in which we contemplate love.
And how do we contemplate love? By spending time with those we love, whether it be with the Creator, friend, or significant other. Practically, Valentine’s Day gives couples a specific date on which they can make sure to be together. Mothers and fathers have a reason to go on a date. Valentine’s Day is the day in which we celebrate love, which connects all reality.
Practical parts of Valentine’s Day are also underrated. For the parents of people born in November, it’s a great day. For middle schoolers it’s a memorable time of social anxiety.
There are historical, philosophical, and practical implications to Valentine’s Day, all of which offer real goods for humankind. Love is so basic of a good that even the secular world appreciates it by setting aside a day. Don’t be anti-love. Appreciate the real, underrated, Valentine’s Day.
But what do you think? Is Valentine's dumb?
ModEdits:
[yes or no] removed from thread title; possessive added to final sentence to avoid any misunderstanding over implication. Any attempt to remove these edits will result in a thread lock
