When you see the whole world living seemingly perfect lives and perfect relationships on social media, it is quite easy to feel alone. You see the cute relationship quotes on VSCO and wonder when you will find “the one.”
Therefore, when Valentine’s Day comes around, the feeling of being alone hits people right in the face like a ton of bricks, and they decide the holiday is pointless and stupid.
I’d like to clarify before I start discussing this topic that I have been in a relationship for a bit over a year. However, I don’t believe this lowers my credibility because it hasn’t always been that way, yet I’ve always felt this way. Regardless of where one’s relationship status stands, it’s important to realize that the holiday isn’t necessarily surrounded by romantic love, though I can agree that it has been commercialized in that sense.
From my first ever Valentine’s Day to this year, my mom and dad have always gotten me a small gift and some candy to celebrate. Because of this, I was taught from a young age that the day doesn’t singlehandedly celebrate being in a relationship, but rather the concept of love. The entire concept — platonic love, self-love, my love for family and everything else.
I understand not everyone has grown up with Valentine’s Day the way I have. However, it’s never too late to learn. It is much more valuable to celebrate a day of love than to sulk and complain about how alone people are.
The fact is that no one is truly alone. Most have a family, friends and people that support them and want to see them succeed. Not having a significant other to celebrate Valentine’s Day isn’t the end of the world when there are a myriad other support systems around.
Regardless, sometimes it’s easy to feel the opposite. Many could possibly be struggling mentally every single day, not just on Valentine’s Day. It can be challenging because everyone feels and copes differently. In this situation, I think it’s important to recognize that a holiday does not define anybody’s worth.
I’ve given this lecture a million times to the people around me who are, for lack of a better word, miserable about this day. It’s difficult to convince people who hate something deeply to open their mind and see something for what they’ve never seen it as.
I’ve begun to believe that Valentine’s Day has been turned into something it isn’t due to the pressures of being in a relationship on social media forcing that upon a young audience.
High school is a great example of this. The student body is composed of so many different personalities and groups, some of which could be considered to be more popular or admirable than others. With the admiration that comes along with being higher up on the social totem pole comes a sense of jealousy.
When other students see popular kids with their significant other, a gap is automatically created. I’ve been in this boat. It feels like everyone can be happy and get into a relationship except you, even worsening the problem at hand.
This year, I advise people to celebrate love: a wonderful thing to celebrate in any form. There’s no limit to what that means in the “Valentine’s Day handbook” that has been created by societal constructs.
It’s much more worthy of a holiday than St. Patrick’s Day, which I still fail to understand the point of, and I’m Irish.
This Valentine’s Day, tell your mom, dad or legal guardian that you love them. Tell your friends you love them. Tell your teachers you appreciate all they do for you.
I promise, it’s much more rewarding than spending your day feeling lonely.
Belle Mulhern, Managing Editor
