Thoughts about valentine's

1. 台大Student Journal
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Under Cupid’s Arrow
by Pablo Cardenas
Approximately 300 years before the Messiah, the Romans celebrated a festival known as Lupercalia. This festival was celebrated to praise the idols Lupercus and Faunus, representing sex and fertility. Lupercalia was celebrated on February 15th. During the festival, young maidens’ (and perhaps even married women's) names were written on bits of paper and thrown into a vessel, and every young man (unmarried or married) drew a name. The person whose name he drew would then become his sexual partner for the coming year.
This festival, that promoted promiscuity, spread with the expansion of the Roman Empire and was eventually molded into a day of hearts, flowers, chocolates, and couples holding hands while walking around a lake that reflects the soft light from the moon. Such a day has became known as Valentine's Day.
Valentine’s is the day when couples, especially those who met during open season back in late October and early November, plead their love to each other. It is a day when broken relationships and failing marriages can be at peace and get a second chance. V-day is the day when single guys go to “Wear a green shirt if you are single” parties, and it is the day when single girls, who have enough respect for themselves, sit at home with a bottle of wine and their faithful pet while watching videos on Youtube.
What should Valentine's Day mean for us?
Modern Valentine ’s Day is named after Saint Valentinius, and it is meant to be a jolly day when we rejoice in the strong bonds we’ve created with our friends, as well as celebrate the opportunity of having a significant other by our side. A day such as this should serve to thank all those who’ve been by our side during our happiest moments, saddest moments, and craziest moments. Valentine’s Day should be the day on which we praise those who’ve made our lives incredible.

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taidajournal.blogspot.com
So what went wrong?
Valentine's Day is big business. According to the National Retail Federation, this year’s Valentine's Day added $17.3 billion to the U.S. economy—making retail spending for this day the second-largest behind Christmas. The average person spent an average of $133.91 on candy, cards, gifts, dinner, and more.
Today, the holiday continues as a time to promote manufactured love—filled with trite greeting cards and ubiquitous heart-shaped candies. Many people feel obligated by societal expectations to buy these gifts and send these cards to their loved ones.
Furthermore, many mark the day by indulging in casual sex. Condom sales skyrocket before the “day for lovers.” The Indo-Asian News Service reported that the director of an online retail service, Shishir Miglani, director of Yes2condom, said sales of condoms “increase up to 10-20 percent during Valentine’s week.”
We have narrowed down a day that has significant meaning into something vain. V-day has become the day when we remember we have feelings towards our boyfriends/ girlfriends and can finally come up with an excuse to send gifts. It has become a day when guys see the opportunity to get some, and girls see the opportunity to be spoiled the way they want. Valentine’s can be summed up in three words: SEX, MONEY, AND SEX.
Some final thoughts:
If I have discouraged you from celebrating Valentine’s Day, then I’m sorry (significant others tend to like the holiday, and if you don’t have a significant other, I suggest replacing that with a quick trip to McDonald’s to eat your pain). All I want to say is don’t wait for February 14th to tell your significant other that you love them. Don’t wait for this date to tell a friend that you miss him or her. Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to call your parents and thank them for the unconditional love they gave you. You have 364 other days to do this, too.