Valentine’s Day is over-rated! - High School Assignment (Year 11)

Valentine’s Day is over-rated!

Valentine’s Day has been around since the 3rd century. It is celebrated on the 14th of February every year. The most common reason why couples break up is because they lose interest in one another or from cheating on them, but it isn’t always like this. Sometimes it can be because their other half has changed too much, like how Brian’s parents in the book “No Worries” are. Another reason is they don’t feel needed anymore because they feel like they’re being ignored. I believe Valentine’s Day can be a big contributor of this.

Now, how did Valentine's Day start? It started with St. Valentine. He married couples who wanted to wed even though it was illegal. He did it anyway because he believed in love. Marriages were banned by the emperor because he wanted men to join his army. He thought that he wouldn't achieve that if men got married, because they wouldn't want to leave their family. This is because if men remained single, they wouldn't be leaving anything behind so there wouldn’t be a problem joining the army. Then, the emperor found out about what St. Valentine had been doing and was beheaded. The day he was killed is known as Valentine's Day. I guess you could say that all these couples that are going out and spending thousands of dollars on gifts have also lost their head.

First of all, when you say I love you on Valentine’s Day this should mean that you accept the person for who they are and that you don’t want to change them. This helps the relationship grow and flourish because instead of dating someone who you don’t really like and want to change, you’re accepting their flaws and imperfections and focusing on the good things about them. After all, nobody’s perfect!

Secondly, marrying your best friend, whether they are of the opposite sex or the same eliminates the risk of divorce by over 70%. These marriages are more likely to last a lifetime. Just think about that for a second, if you spend the time to get to know someone well enough and that you accept them for who they are and you two are a great match; why not try dating if the feeling is mutual?

Furthermore, relationships thrive when both sides show an interest in what each other does. For example, if your boyfriend is a gamer, why not join in? Just the same for if your girlfriend likes shopping, you might as well go along so she has someone to talk to and show that you are truly interested in the relationship and that you love each other. Also, going out with someone because of your interests for each other is a key in relationships, not only would this help but it would make the connection between the two of you two stronger, and so things you do together feels more meaningful.

Also, couples shouldn’t just spoil their boyfriend or girlfriend on just Valentine’s Day; they should be doing this all year. Lack of affection, attention and interest is one of the most common reasons why couples break up. Well, this and cheating on them. Also, these days it seems you have to go out and spend heaps of money on gifts and things that are nothing compared to expressing your love through words and actions. These gifts aren’t loved and are usually thrown out the next day, for example flowers. It’s a sweet gesture buying things for each other, but expressing it not just through gifts but through actions and words is how they know you mean it.

Many people agree that it’s all become so commercialised and it’s all focused on what you can buy them? Where can we go? What can we do? Valentine’s Day and many other occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and even Christmas has all become just a day for retail stores to cash in make money! It isn’t about spending the day with the person you love, but rather how much you can spend and spoil them. On occasion people forget to buy gifts which apparently means that they don't love their boyfriend or girlfriend. Having that added stress doesn’t help the situation either. I guess that's just what happens when you live in a capitalist society.

In conclusion, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is celebrating the death of St. Valentine and lately has become all about the money. There seems to be this rule that you have to go out and buy something expensive no matter what. It has become less about the actual time you spend together and more about the money. This means how much you are willing to spend on someone, where you can take them and what you can do, and for some reason the gift seems to define how much you love them. Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be just for one day, it should be all year round.

[Originally written 19/02/2014, published 22/03/2017.]