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Another Question Of The Day (or whatever we are calling it now...)
As it's Valentine's Day and I am yet to receive a card, present or text message, I'm going to start the debate up.
Is Valentine's Day just another commercial holiday where people spend too much on pointless cards and presents, or is it a day you feel more able to express your feelings to that someone special?
Myself, this is the first year I haven't really thought about Valentines Day. Perhaps it's because I have nobody I feel strong enough about to make the effort.
I usually send a card to a crush, but at the moment I don't feel I have one. There are a few potential interests, but I'm sure their Valentines Days are filled with presents and cards already. (Although saying that, I used up my PayPal fund to sponsor a girl I have a bit of an interest in... hey it's for Cancer Research and I didn't have to buy a gift this year...)
Deep down, my honest opinion is that you don't need a day to let that person know how much you mean to them. This should be done every day - let them know you care, that they are on your mind and that you love them.
What are your thoughts?
As it's Valentine's Day and I am yet to receive a card, present or text message, I'm going to start the debate up.
Is Valentine's Day just another commercial holiday where people spend too much on pointless cards and presents, or is it a day you feel more able to express your feelings to that someone special?
Myself, this is the first year I haven't really thought about Valentines Day. Perhaps it's because I have nobody I feel strong enough about to make the effort.
I usually send a card to a crush, but at the moment I don't feel I have one. There are a few potential interests, but I'm sure their Valentines Days are filled with presents and cards already. (Although saying that, I used up my PayPal fund to sponsor a girl I have a bit of an interest in... hey it's for Cancer Research and I didn't have to buy a gift this year...)
Deep down, my honest opinion is that you don't need a day to let that person know how much you mean to them. This should be done every day - let them know you care, that they are on your mind and that you love them.
What are your thoughts?
Well I used mine as a platform for greater things. Plus it's a brilliant way of getting birds to go on a date with ya, with practically no effort.
Ask, receive a yes, spend a bit of cash, spend everything else. Easy.
it's commercial yes, but pointless? Hardly.
Ask, receive a yes, spend a bit of cash, spend everything else. Easy.
it's commercial yes, but pointless? Hardly.
I had a text in the end from said girl in WLT attempt...that's as good as it was gonna get!
My wife and I had one of our happiest Valentines days we've had together in a long time. Just spent time together, went for a walk to the beach and just enjoyed each other's company.
We didn't even buy each other cards!
Valentine's win!
Commercialism fail.
We didn't even buy each other cards!
Valentine's win!
Commercialism fail.
Problem with most of these commercialised events (Valentines Day.Mothers Day,Fathers Day etc.) is that many people now have expections.If you missed one,chances are that someone would be genuinely hurt and upset taking it as a sign they were not loved,cared for,valued etc.Better off just getting your wallet out and going along with it all TBH.That's my spin on it anyway.
Personally, I would not show my love for someone on one particular day, just because it's the fashion, I'd show it for as long as we were together. But as pb said, the commercialisation of Valentines day is just like any other holiday. You could argue people should be nice to each other all the time and not just at christmas, but it doesn't work like that. Sad to say, the commercialisation works...
I understand the issues with Valantines Day for many people but if we didn't have it for the sake of upsetting some people then we might as well not have Christmas (upsetting people who don't support it), New Year (upsetting Wiccans, Chinese etc who hold their new year at a different time), Halloween (both for the Christian fundi-silly-mentalist and for the people who like to celebrate it as a traditional form rather than the modern form) etc...
It doesn't hurt to have one day that might yield some happiness for someone who might not normally get any and while it's a nice sentiment to say everyone should be showing love all year around it's just not realistic.
and it's only commercial because people make it commercial, just like the other holidays, all of them can be celebrated easily without buying anything.
It doesn't hurt to have one day that might yield some happiness for someone who might not normally get any and while it's a nice sentiment to say everyone should be showing love all year around it's just not realistic.
and it's only commercial because people make it commercial, just like the other holidays, all of them can be celebrated easily without buying anything.
I find history, for the most part, interesting so I've done a bit of research on Valentines Day - why it is called Valentines Day and why it is on February 14th.
In ancient Rome, worship of a god called Faunus was observed on the 15th February by men running around a hill whipping women who wanted children lined up around the path of the runners to ensure their fertility. It was called Lupercalia. This was abolished in the 5th century.
The name Valentine comes from a story about Saint Valentine in around the year 200, when the Roman emperor of the time stopped men marrying to make them better soldiers. Valentine was a priest and he married young couples secretly in violation of the emperors orders and was apparently executed on the 14th February. In the year 496, the Pope of the time called February 14th Saint Valentines Day.
A symbol most would recognise is Cupid. Cupid is based on the Greek god Eros, the god of love, as he hovered over goddess Aphrodite while Pan, a fertility god, made advances on her.
As with most holidays, they have their bases in worship of ancient gods so, although the origins are mostly forgotten, the fact remains that Valentines Day is based on these origins. In a way, the commercialisation of Valentines Day has hidden the true meaning behind it.
The commercialism of Valentines Day is a reason why to me it a pointless waste of time. It is basically forced affection. It could also be heartfelt but the impact is lost because it is expected.
I choose not to get involved in Valentines Day. :)
In ancient Rome, worship of a god called Faunus was observed on the 15th February by men running around a hill whipping women who wanted children lined up around the path of the runners to ensure their fertility. It was called Lupercalia. This was abolished in the 5th century.
The name Valentine comes from a story about Saint Valentine in around the year 200, when the Roman emperor of the time stopped men marrying to make them better soldiers. Valentine was a priest and he married young couples secretly in violation of the emperors orders and was apparently executed on the 14th February. In the year 496, the Pope of the time called February 14th Saint Valentines Day.
A symbol most would recognise is Cupid. Cupid is based on the Greek god Eros, the god of love, as he hovered over goddess Aphrodite while Pan, a fertility god, made advances on her.
As with most holidays, they have their bases in worship of ancient gods so, although the origins are mostly forgotten, the fact remains that Valentines Day is based on these origins. In a way, the commercialisation of Valentines Day has hidden the true meaning behind it.
The commercialism of Valentines Day is a reason why to me it a pointless waste of time. It is basically forced affection. It could also be heartfelt but the impact is lost because it is expected.
I choose not to get involved in Valentines Day. :)
Valentines is a day that people use as a get-out clause for being crap the other 364 days.
it`s a public apology with a line of merchendise.
so there :P
it`s a public apology with a line of merchendise.
so there :P
My thoughts are the same in the WLT... basically, we don't need cards and presents foisted upon us to show that we love our wives, girlfriends, whatever. But the idea of having something tangible - cards, flowers and such - make it more convincing and encourages feelings that words and simple actions can't portray. And that's where business comes in, taking advantage of what should be a purely sentimental occasion and making it into something material. You know - it's great to have love, but it's even better to have love and a 10ft teddy bear - that train of thought.
This is all fine if it doesn't get out of hand, and for the majority of couples I'm sure it doesn't - that the love shared between them surpasses any material gifts of any day or occasion - but it also serves to leave out those who refuse to partake in the tradition. We are all social people by nature (maybe not the psychos) - we want to feel loved, wanted and in return love others - when the "love industry" has profited so much to the extent that they can sway the masses (and that includes me) that you HAVE to buy in order to show love, it means that those who refuse to take part in the commercialisation of such an event will be socially ostracised. The companies know that, sooner or later, they too would have to spend to be part of mainstream society, or risk being labelled an outcast or part of one of those "weirdo" groups.
This is all fine if it doesn't get out of hand, and for the majority of couples I'm sure it doesn't - that the love shared between them surpasses any material gifts of any day or occasion - but it also serves to leave out those who refuse to partake in the tradition. We are all social people by nature (maybe not the psychos) - we want to feel loved, wanted and in return love others - when the "love industry" has profited so much to the extent that they can sway the masses (and that includes me) that you HAVE to buy in order to show love, it means that those who refuse to take part in the commercialisation of such an event will be socially ostracised. The companies know that, sooner or later, they too would have to spend to be part of mainstream society, or risk being labelled an outcast or part of one of those "weirdo" groups.
Another Question Of The Day (or whatever we are calling it now...)
As it's Valentine's Day and I am yet to receive a card, present or text message, I'm going to start the debate up.
Is Valentine's Day just another commercial holiday where people spend too much on pointless cards and presents, or is it a day you feel more able to express your feelings to that someone special?
Myself, this is the first year I haven't really thought about Valentines Day. Perhaps it's because I have nobody I feel strong enough about to make the effort.
I usually send a card to a crush, but at the moment I don't feel I have one. There are a few potential interests, but I'm sure their Valentines Days are filled with presents and cards already. (Although saying that, I used up my PayPal fund to sponsor a girl I have a bit of an interest in... hey it's for Cancer Research and I didn't have to buy a gift this year...)
Deep down, my honest opinion is that you don't need a day to let that person know how much you mean to them. This should be done every day - let them know you care, that they are on your mind and that you love them.
What are your thoughts?
As it's Valentine's Day and I am yet to receive a card, present or text message, I'm going to start the debate up.
Is Valentine's Day just another commercial holiday where people spend too much on pointless cards and presents, or is it a day you feel more able to express your feelings to that someone special?
Myself, this is the first year I haven't really thought about Valentines Day. Perhaps it's because I have nobody I feel strong enough about to make the effort.
I usually send a card to a crush, but at the moment I don't feel I have one. There are a few potential interests, but I'm sure their Valentines Days are filled with presents and cards already. (Although saying that, I used up my PayPal fund to sponsor a girl I have a bit of an interest in... hey it's for Cancer Research and I didn't have to buy a gift this year...)
Deep down, my honest opinion is that you don't need a day to let that person know how much you mean to them. This should be done every day - let them know you care, that they are on your mind and that you love them.
What are your thoughts?