V-day the Hypocracy

Saint Valentine is believed to be a Christian martyr who made his name popular by spreading Christianity and marrying soldiers, whom under the the Roman emperor Claudius II were not allowed to marry because he believed it made the soldiers weak. Valentine, on the other hand, believed this to be unjust and met secretly to wed the young (very young back then) lovers. Oh, and he healed a blind girl and left her a note before his execution which closed with, "Your Valentine."

Valentine was executed on February 14, 270AD for refusing to recognize Roman Gods. Since then, this day has been commercialized into the ultimate lover's day in the U.S. and all over the world.

Here's my beef:

The general public, and specifically Christians, celebrate this man for going against the government and performing illegal marriage ceremonies because he believed all were entitled to this sacred union. Yet, in this U.S. anyway, present day Christians consistently fight the government to ensure "all" are most definitely not entitled to this same union.  If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm referring to the gays.

This seems a bit hypocritical to me...

Ultimately this day was initially a day to celebrate "Christian love" and love for Christ, and has no real connection to what it is today.

Present day Valentine's Day can most easily be describes as a day of chocolate, flowers, and pressure, That's right: pressure.

If you're in a relationship you are required to not only recognize this special day, but show an abundance of love and appreciation for your partner, in the form of flowers and chocolate and flowers and more chocolate.

If you're not in a relationship you are required to gush over the love lives of your associates and feel insecure about your lack of partnership.

Fuck that.

I've spent many Valentine's Days in committed relationships and for the most part the day was not much different than the rest. Here's the thing - Disney needs adoration EVERY day. One day a year just isn't enough. Actually, it's borderline insulting to think we need an assigned day to show people how we feel about them  Why not just be adults and express what we want, when we want?

I'll admit it's cute to watch the young ones choosing their "Valentine," but class rules require student bring a valentine for everyone so no one feels left out. I'll never forget my mother forcing me to give a valentine to the boy who, just a few days before, punched me in the stomach. Not to mention, promoting young love in elementary school may not be such a great idea now that middle-schoolers are making babies.

I'm sure this all comes off as a single-girl rant, but the truth is, this is my first single-girl Valentine's Day in a very very long time. I don't feel the least bit of pressure.  I will go about my day as any other, and tonight I get to choose who shall be my Valentine. That's right, I still get to choose my Valentine, as in, it's not predetermined by relationship status.

In the end: Flowers die, chocolate makes you fat, and single girls have the options that the married girls envy.  Yay, Valentine's Day!