I just hate the fact that this day….whose origin no one seems to know or care about, is rammed down our throats every year. Some of us are still recovering from the Xmas splurge, and already we’re being told to pay twice as much as we normally would for red roses, and to spend money on oversized tacky cards written by people who didn't quite make it as writers. And all this leads up to the next commercial splurge that is Easter…or is it Mother’s day.
The concept of celebrating love is noble enough but I think what I hate about Valentine’s day is the mass-brainwash that seems to take over all of us…men, women, black, white, Christian, Jewish, Muslim. At least at Christmas there’s some comfort in knowing that we can escape the turkey by visiting our Muslim friends or even pretend to be Jewish when a busybody asks why we haven’t bought any presents for our children. Yet with V-day, there's no escape and everyone seems to be so comfortable putting on this display of ‘commercialised’ romance. How it annoys me!
I think when I was a teenager, I was excited by the prospect of getting a card which was probably from the class nerd but which I pretended came from the school’s most popular boy. I took the phrase ‘Ignorance is bliss’ to a whole new level. Since then I’ve matured and become a lot more cynical.
Yes I believe in romance but it annoys me to think I have to put it on for one day. Fortunately my husband feels the same way but there’s still the pressure from friends and family and society in general. Already I’ve been asked by a colleague if I got flowers this morning. I'm inclined to email my husband at work and say don’t you dare buy me flowers today and can we please leave the cards out this year, but I know he’ll also have to give an account of what he bought his wife. And then my family will come round at the weekend and wonder why there are no red cards on display. Urgghhhhh! I hate being bullied, coerced into this stupid day. Why can’t I be an Anti-Valentiner in peace? Honestly I am happy and in love but I just don’t see why Hallmark or Thornton’s should get my money today. I’ll be happy to oblige on other days….just not today…..and certainly not because they say so!
Does anyone know of a religion that forbids its followers to observe Valentine’s Day? If so please send details my way….I feel a conversion underway.
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