No really, I meant it.
I'm not a total ogre afterall.
I think my real problem with Valentine's Day (and most holidays in general) is that it has gotten over-commercialized. Every holiday has become an excuse to buy BUY BUY!
As a nation we're enough in debt without having to make it worse, but retailers try to convince us that if we don't spend money on our loved ones then we must not love them enough.
In fact I heard on the radio this morning that the average amount of money spent on a loved one on Valentine's Day is about $100 per person. A hundred bucks!
It used to be that the simple things in life are free, but not anymore I guess.
Below is a poem that was written by my friend Vicky.
It kind of touches on the theme that love is no longer something magical, but rather just a way of bettering yourself in this world.
My Question - by Victoria Rego
The materialistic idiocy of a narcissistic world
Developed by the destruction of
The common courtesies once plagued by humanity.
Simple gestures of kindness, once upon a time
Meant more than the naivety of a pure soul,
Destroyed by the continuous reminder
That love is no longer an emotion,
Rather a positive chemical reaction
To the pheromones of two beings; at best
Similar to the adverse reaction of one eating chocolate.
How simply complex has our world become
When marriage is no longer a symbol of love
And commitment but rather a financial constitution
Benefiting one or both parties? When companionship
Means be there in bed but no other part of my life,
Have we improved upon the status of relationships
Or destroyed the basic values of civilization.
Basic emotional needs of man/woman/humanity,
No longer take precedence over the desire
To be better than any one else.
How is it that a person pure in heart can be condemned
For wanting to forgive past pains—for believing
In the concept of true love? Is it so wrong to believe?
In this world yes, it is. In this world, the only true belief
Is in the value of money not people.
This is what we teach our children: that the value
Of a person is in the physical appearance
And financial standing of their being
Rather than the spiritual, emotional
Or moral aspects of who they are.
This has become the philosophy of today’s youth.
Thoughts devoured by endless counts of prejudice
Brought on by so-called do-gooders that have forgotten
The basic values of their spiritual beliefs.
That we, as human beings, purpose for being
Is not to destroy but to renew—to develop
The ideas of the past into something grander than before.
Can good truly be born from evil?
In the mass of destruction that we call life,
Is it possible to maintain the purity of open love?
The materialistic idiocy of a narcissistic world
Developed by the destruction of
The common courtesies once plagued by humanity.
Simple gestures of kindness, once upon a time
Meant more than the naivety of a pure soul,
Destroyed by the continuous reminder
That love is no longer an emotion,
Rather a positive chemical reaction
To the pheromones of two beings; at best
Similar to the adverse reaction of one eating chocolate.
How simply complex has our world become
When marriage is no longer a symbol of love
And commitment but rather a financial constitution
Benefiting one or both parties? When companionship
Means be there in bed but no other part of my life,
Have we improved upon the status of relationships
Or destroyed the basic values of civilization.
Basic emotional needs of man/woman/humanity,
No longer take precedence over the desire
To be better than any one else.
How is it that a person pure in heart can be condemned
For wanting to forgive past pains—for believing
In the concept of true love? Is it so wrong to believe?
In this world yes, it is. In this world, the only true belief
Is in the value of money not people.
This is what we teach our children: that the value
Of a person is in the physical appearance
And financial standing of their being
Rather than the spiritual, emotional
Or moral aspects of who they are.
This has become the philosophy of today’s youth.
Thoughts devoured by endless counts of prejudice
Brought on by so-called do-gooders that have forgotten
The basic values of their spiritual beliefs.
That we, as human beings, purpose for being
Is not to destroy but to renew—to develop
The ideas of the past into something grander than before.
Can good truly be born from evil?
In the mass of destruction that we call life,
Is it possible to maintain the purity of open love?
Posted with permission by the author
(You can check out more of her poetry HERE. It's really good stuf!)
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I really hope you have a good Valentine's Day, whether you're single or in a relationship.
And I hope that somebody does something to make your day special, without making it seem contrived.
1 things people had to say:
Hey T
Thanks for posting my Poem
Funny when you find that real love nothing else seems to matter. I'm glad I'm not a materialist B.... like most women here in NYC. Unfortuantely those are the ones that seem to get all the guy good thing there are still some real MEN out there.
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