Are You Addicted To: Valentine's Day?

Attention! Attention!

Love is for Sale

In the spirit of Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought it would deem appropriate if talk a little about love.
 
We are all brutally aware (or at least I hope we are) that once a month or so we are faced with societal pressure to spend money. In the end of the day, all we are is consumers.

But, from all the Hallmark holidays that we have to endure, none bothers me more than Valentine's Day.

Love, the single most used and abused word in the English language, is up for sale once a year on February 14th. Yet, unlike other merchandise, you can't purchase this commodity for yourself. 

I remember it was back in grade school when this shenanigans was embedded in our brain, when we were able to send each other 'Secret Valentine' and for those 10 daunting minutes when the teacher was handing them out, I, along with the rest of the class would hold my breath, praying for at least one Secret Valentine, in order to avoid the embarrassing, pity filled moment when we had to sit there with an empty desk. Since grade school days, red paper hearts have turned into little fancy boxes, Cinnamon Hearts into diamond earrings and .... you get the picture. But, besides the value of the gifts, the concept is very much the same. 

   So what I am getting at is that despite living in the 'progressive' 21 Century, once a year we are taken back to our barbaric ways where single women are penalized, love is commodified, and our worthiness is left in the hands of someone, who may or may not reciprocate our "love". Here, love simply refers to the value of time and money we have spent on our partners gift, in comparison to what we are receiving. If you ask me, this sounds more of a business transaction, then a companionship. 
    
    Worst of all, we voluntarily and continuously subjectify ourselves to this growing culture, which reduces affection and intimacy to a teeny tiny racy lingerie and little boxes with big price tags. How? By paying 4x the amount for dozen of roses, reserving a pretentious restaurant with a set menu , watching a sappy Hollywood movie cleverly titled 'Valentine's Day', and expecting a gift to magically fill a bigger void in our relationships. 
   
   Call me a romantic, but what ever happened to year-round romantic gestures, love without expectations, and being alone without seeming lonely?