‘Love is in the air’ screams an advertisement. Red hearts, pink hearts and hearts of all colours, sizes and shapes hang from every nook and corner at shopping malls. The young and the young at heart can be seen pouring over piles of Valentine days cards in the greeting card store. Love is indeed in the air and no one can deny the fact that Valentine’s Day has come to stay. Love has finally found a place in our calendars, a day which we can truly set aside to celebrate Love.
‘Will you be my Balantine, oops? sorry, my Valentine’, is my wife’s favourite strap line when she greets me on Valentine’s Day, the ‘Balantine’ part being my first name that rhymes with Valentine. So love it or hate it, you certainly cannot ignore it; St. Valentine has entered into our homes and in our hearts. However controversial this day may be, it still comes with a message of love and is worth celebrating.
We live in times where love is taking a beating, we don’t need to go far to see hatred. It is at our doorstep announcing itself in the newspapers every morning and therefore we must make use of every occasion to promote love and Valentine’s day is one such occasion. Love is a commodity or virtue that should be distributed in plenty, ‘buy none get lots free’.
There is a hymn that I am particularly fond of and it goes like this,
Love is something that you give it away
And it comes right back to you.
Love is like a Magic Penny
Hold it tight and you won’t get any
Lend it, spend it, give it away
And it comes right back to you!
I’m sure that there may be some of you who would correct me and say, that the kind of love the world needs is different; it’s not the love that Valentine’s Day stands for or symbolizes. Perfect! I am fully aware that there is a difference. Valentine’s Day may promote love, which is Eros, and the world needs the Philia or Agape variety, but no one can deny that Eros, Philia and Agape are the three pods of the same fruit called love.
My contention is that we should jump onto the bandwagon of Valentine’s Day and promote love in its entirety and only then will the world have a chance of being a better place for you and for me and for our future generations.
So friends, celebrate and spread the message of love! It is said that the greatest gifts happen when you share love. Make this year’s Valentine’s Day a very special day for everyone around you, not just for that special person in your life.
Wishing all the readers of Mangalorean.com a very happy Valentine’s Day!
Author: Nelson DSilva- Oman
