Why I don't like Valentine's Day

February is love month, or so they say. Every 14th is the celebration of the feast of St. Valentine, a martyr of the Catholic Church. It is the time of the year when people are so sappy and cheesy over their own loved ones. This may be weird, but I don't like Valentine's Day. I'm part of that teeny population who is in a steady relationship but would not like to celebrate that so-called day of love.

Why? For starters, I think that love should not just be celebrated on a single day. It should be upheld every day to your friends, family, and significant others. We can always show and extend our love with simple gestures. I remember a little kid saying to me that she loves me when I gave her a handful of candy I bought at the canteen. It may be shallow but it makes the heart happy, thus love in the simplest form can always result in a smile.

Second, I believe it is a waste of money. Flowers are beautiful, yes. But when the time comes, they wither and die. All the hundreds and thousands of pesos spent on a bouquet of roses will just go to nothing. Well, the gesture of giving something beautiful may be heart-warming but the practical side of it all is nothing. It could also be a waste of space. While others are also making money out of the season, if you don't have that much then don't force it. Love cannot be bought anyway.

Third, I see the season as a time for people blessed with a good relationship to show off what they have on social media. Although it is their right to post whatever they feel like on their own accounts, it seems like they are being insensitive to those who are lonely for Valentine's Day. What if they had the shoe on the other foot? It would also be hard for them, I guess.

Love is complex and cannot be explained in the many reasons the world could give. There is also no hard and fast rule. Point is, we don't need to set aside a day to celebrate this butterfly feeling in our stomach that we get every time we get extremely happy with the one we love. The best love is to be kind to ourselves. The Chinese said we can do this by thinking good thoughts, speaking good words, and doing good deeds.

This piece is about five days late from the actual Valentine's Day, but I don't mind. It is never late to remind others that the greatest command of all is to love in the simplest ways we can. A lot of people may contest this, but we have our own thoughts and own takes on this occasion. My only wish for us all is that we may all find genuine happiness out of true love that hopefully we may all understand in time. [email protected]