Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations are just weeks apart. If you did not take note last year that you are alone, February is yet another reminder.
Despite all the excuses: “Valentine’s is not only for romantic partners”, or “It is a capitalistic celebration just to elevate our consumerist behaviors”, or the above meme resonates, the truth is, you would be singing a different song if somebody’s son or daughter was expecting a red, heart-shaped package of something from you.
The increasingly popular “Single’s Parties” held on Valentine’s, will only matter if you lock eyes (and hopefully, hearts) with someone there. Otherwise, the truth is that you are single and have been searching for years.
In 2024, loneliness is not a light subject. It has been often referred to as an epidemic. Indeed, 73 percent of Gen-Z report feeling alone and isolated sometimes or always. Some research reported that loneliness can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. And people who experience social isolation have a 32 percent higher risk of early death.
This Valentine’s take a moment, reflect, note how lonely you are, and take necessary action.
If you have given up, I guess you have a case. Many are sick of love because it disappoints us regularly. We try to conquer someone’s heart, they push us away, we play down someone else’s feelings, and we don’t get whoever else we craved. We have seen proof, time and time again, that love is a scam, relationships have cheating boats on the side, marriage is a total dud investment, and having kids is like defining a billboard to a blind person.
Despite all this, we have Valentine’s Day. Maybe love does conquer. Is this a belief worth maintaining? I refuse to believe that all hope in love is lost. Lovesick is a human nature. It’s all we ever think about and our only reason to live, with the latter being worse, of course.
If you have watched Netflix’s “You” where Joe roams the world with his books and a killing box to find love, you understand. He genuinely believed that in the many adventures he passes through, he has to shape them into ‘forever’ material, which is simply a misdemeanor.
This Valentine’s Day, we hope you have conviction strong enough to drop the excuses and try again, but not the Joe kind of strong.
If you choose to celebrate love in all its forms, enjoy the moments, like Frank Manzi, a recently single Kigalian and former romantic puts it:
“Men can also celebrate the love they share with their families, friends, and most importantly, themselves. This day presents men with a chance to cherish the meaningful connections in their lives, providing an opportunity for expressions of gratitude and acts of kindness that go beyond traditional romantic gestures.”
To the Gen-Z, who do not seek as many romantic connections as their parents did, Manzi’s idea fits, right? Darnella Teta, who has never been in any long-term relationship at the age of 23, shares how she deals with the pressure of celebrating Valentine’s as an intentionally single gal.
“When we remain objective about the essence of the celebration, which is an occasion to celebrate love, it’s possible to bypass the pressure surrounding gifts and all the necessary arrangements. You can make it a period you love, like your first anniversary or something similar, so celebrate it together; otherwise, it’s just the same.
She continues:” I enjoy celebrating with my friends, just spending quality time with them. It’s a choice; the same could be said for all celebrations like New Year’s or other events. As people like to mention, Valentine’s Day is commercial. But in the end, it’s us who make the day special or not, like all celebrations without sharing, it is nothing. Even if you only share it with yourself.”
If all hope is lost, who’s to say there are no bigger things than love, or who’s to say that life should only be centered around love?
