For Valentine, a pagan priest who lived during the grotesque Roman persecution against Christians, love was more than the mushy stuff we think of today. It was above sentimental feelings or infatuation. It was deeper than sexual attraction or physical desire.
It is not based on circumstance, climate, clothes, character or come-ons. It is a commitment that carries a price tag. It demands action. And that does not just mean buying the most expensive bouquet of flowers for your loved one or having the most overpriced meal in an overcrowded restaurant on an overcommercialised day.
If cliches can kill, those associated with Valentine’s Day surely will. One can sneer at romance, proclaim it dead or consider it childish but even the most hardened critics go strangely quiet on Valentine’s Day. Romance may be silly, yet few things in life beat it for sheer headiness.
Nonetheless, those without a significant other often speak with sarcasm by referring to Valentine’s Day as “Singles’ Awareness Day” (or SAD, for acronym freaks).
