Love is dead

By: Grant Goetcheus
Twitter: @goetcheusg
Email: goetcheusg@Findlay.edu

Last Wednesday was Valentine’s Day and millions of people celebrated. Some went out for a night on the town, while others stayed home for a home cooked meal and a movie. There was also another group – single people. To these people, Valentine’s Day is just another day. There is no one to be with, and no one to waste money on.
Why is there a special day for celebration of the special person in your life? That should be every day. That should be your goal every day; to make sure that the person you want to share your life with is aware of that fact. The best way to keep a relationship strong is by making surprise gestures of love. Valentine’s Day ruins this by creating an expectation.
The expectations of this day are huge thanks to Hollywood and the media. Every year, there are tons of news stories of that one guy or gal that goes above and beyond what is asked. This makes for an awkward situation when you show up with some flowers and a box of chocolates while someone else rented out the whole restaurant that they met in.
USA Today states that, “total U.S. spending on Valentine’s Day is predicted to reach $18.2 billion this year, down 7.6% from $19.7 billion in 2016. The average consumer is expected to spend $136.57 on holiday merchandise and services, down 96 cents from 2016.”
This does make for a better economy. However, imagine what that money could go towards, the diseases it could cure, and the food it could bring to those that are not as fortunate as those that live in the United States of America.
Love is a special thing that should not need to be celebrated solely on one day and that is why I think that we should end this made up holiday so that we can benefit the whole world. Love is something that should be spread to everyone that graces our lives and not just one of those people.
There will always be single people that do not have someone to celebrate with. Single people don’t have their own holiday and that is sad. I think that Valentine’s Day should be replaced by a singles celebration day – a day that will celebrate those that are single by choice because they want to focus on making themselves a better person.

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