The English language has only one word for love, whether it be romantic, familial, or friendship. Over time, the day has come to be associated with specifically romantic love. Individuals spend the day going on dates with their significant others, buying them gifts, overall celebrating the romantic love existing between them. Thus, the day can often sting or merely just be unnecessary for those who don’t have a romantic partner either by choice or circumstance. The solution is simple, this Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate all types of love.
While there is nothing wrong with celebrating romantic love, we still tend to forget that there are many different types of love. The Greek language has multiple different words for love, depending on what type of love is being referenced. The most common four are storage: love of family, agape: the universal unconditional love that is associated with God, nature, or strangers, philia: friendship, and eros: romantic love. Anyone who has a best friend knows how deep and fulfilling the love that exists between them is. The same can be true for the love that exists in a healthy parent-child or sibling relationship. You can be annoyed with this person and still love them with every fiber of your being. I believe the selfless unconditional love for strangers, religion, or nature is also one of the most powerful emotions humans could experience.
The idea that we all need to have a partner to be complete is prevalent in American culture. While finding the “one” is not a bad thing, promoting the idea as the highest ideal can make a person feel resentful when they don’t have a romantic partner. They won’t be as grateful for the relationships that they have with their friends and family. Not all of these relationships last. According to Psychology Today, the divorce rate in America for first marriages is estimated to be around 48%. Furthermore, some of these individuals may be happier when they are not in a romantic relationship but have an amazing support system of family and friends. It is merely the societal pressure to have a romantic relationship that drives them to even want one in the first place, which is caused in part by the glorification of romantic love in the holiday. Besides Mother’s and Father’s Day, our society does not really make a big deal about celebrating non-romantic relationships, even though there are obscure holidays that celebrate these relationships. I think we, as a society, should make more of an effort to recognize these days that celebrate non-romantic relationships.
When we make Valentine’s Day solely about romance, people are oftentimes excluded. In a society that seems to idolize romantic love as the ultimate ideal to aspire, I believe that Valentine’s Day should recognize more of the familial and platonic relationships we take for granted.
