Of Valentines, Love and Other Falsehoods

larawan ng tsokolate at rosas para sa araw ng mga puso

Chocolates and flowers to melt the heart on the V-Day/ magtrends.com

Another Valentine’s Day survived, whew! With all the flowers and chocolates being peddled around and bandied about on the 14th, one’s liable to think the world’s gone mad with love. Messages crying out loudly or, softly, “Be Mine.” Yes, but could you give me a minute, please? After all, it’s not that easy to say, “I’m Yours.” Really.

Or, is it? Isn’t it what we’ve been waiting for, the chance to turn soft and finally surrender without a fight? “Shh, heart, thou doth protest too much. Keep still.” It’s that time to see the sky a shade bluer, the grass a bit greener and the rose a little redder, huh? It’s the time to be happy. Or, so they say. Or, so you say.

 

larawan ng dalawang nag-iibigan

Love is making senseless excuses about being in love/ cherrybam.com

But what of it? What could be so special about love, really? Love, indeed! Why, it’s a curse, according to the severely affected. It’s about finding oneself in another person, the craziest of ideas. The nerve! The height! Capital!  Some situation one takes the trouble to entangle himself in.

It’s as though the pressure of the clock isn’t enough, the degradation of the environment not alarming enough and the proliferation of crimes, nothing to worry about, no. The heart could stand some more tremors, keep them coming. Truly,  a person’s appetite for self-destruction knows no bounds.

 

The heart has its reasons, methinks the problem begins there. It has this phony superstition that the more befuddling a person is, the more attractive he/she is. How come? How come that a person who bothers your sleep, intrudes in your thoughts and makes you forget your meals, becomes the center of your universe? That’s insane!

Now, it’s bad enough that one forgets himself with the intruder’s presence. But there usually follows music, too, of the most unusual kind. At this point, insanity of the distressed person scales up to a level not quite anticipated. Derangement then shows itself in various serious forms. Regression sets in – the suffering person becomes young at heart. Some warning is in order or the effects will be irreversible.

 

Some form of intervention thus becomes necessary. Rescue the afflicted or be damned with the consequences. Alas, for most people, they do not see the peril of being around a fellow who is truly, deeply and madly in love. They usually ignore the signs, fail to address the root cause of the predicament and some even go the extent of encouraging madness. Ah, when will we ever learn?

I say with candor, love must be nipped in the bud. It musn’t be permitted to take roots, reach out to the sun and cavort with the wind. There’s a stiff price to pay if we allow that to happen. Sadly, we have allowed just that. Negligence seems to have the run of the place, for thousands of years. And where has it gotten us, may I ask? To the bottom of the deep blue, I am loathed to admit. It’s a world peopled by folks who can’t tell their left from their right, a sorry business.

larawan ni Kupido, ang diyos ng pag-ibig para sa mga Romano

Valentines reminds us, foolishness spares no one/ graphicshunt.com

Fortunately, some bright minds came up with the idea of celebrating the love day. They marked a certain day of the year for honoring Eros or elevating Cupid, a happy, if not a cure-all, solution. By declaring Valentine’s Day, the authorities effectively stripped love some of its mysteries. Love’s then lifted up and held for everybody’s appraisal. Devoid of falsehood and misconception, it can now take its place among its brethren – ambition, revenge and shame – a veritable and strong line-up. Love as one among the many emotions that make this world go round.

 

Consider this. Celebration of love for just one day needs not give one the creeps when he or she is loveless. Come on, it’s just a day! For all the hoopla, Valentines can be and is usually survived. I mean, it’s not as hard as Physics. It’s nowhere near Algebra, hey. I must admit though, that not quite measuring up to the demands of the occasion, induces a state almost as bad. There’s always the inquiring look, the solicitous words and the punishing kindness from friends, relatives and acquaintances, all to make The Day bearable.

These well-meaning people do not take you to task for going around and about loveless and unloved, no. They pray and hope for your deliverance. For them, love is a mandatory kind of sickness, very much like the measles or the chickenpox – it’s necessary. If it can be helped, the affliction must manifest and declare itself on the 14th day of the second month, yes. This way,  you’ll be normal just like the rest, normally in the love fever range. Ahuh.

 

larawan ng isang taong humihiling ng pag-ibig

Finding love’s not easy as a breeze/ bestwall4u.blogspot.com

So, it happens. Love is commemorated yearly, on a circumstance and in a ceremony called Valentine’s Day. There are flowers, chocolates, cards and all sorts of compunctions. It’s not so bad. Really. Valentines thoughtfully reminds us that love can be lost and found. Or, found and lost. Which, when one comes to think of, is what love’s  all about. It’s about finding what’s missing and losing what one thought she or he, has found. It’s a lot like life, honestly.

Different folks conceive and celebrate Valentine’s Day differently. For some, it’s the chance to show off, to declare devotion way too loudly. For the others, it’s the occasion to spend all too carelessly. Still, for the others, it’s the suitable day to cry oneself immensely. Different strokes, I say. For me, love is meant for growing. If your plant has not matured by V-Day, why, it’s no time to expect harvest yet. If you do, that isn’t just subscribing to falsehood. It’s being silly, on top of forcing love.

 

larawan ng isang kamay na umaabot sa pag-ibig

Love is grown over time/ flickr.com

 

And if there’s one thing love ain’t, it’s just that – it’s not begotten by compulsion.

 

Happy Valentines, all year through!  😉 🙂

 

11 comments on “Of Valentines, Love and Other Falsehoods

  1. Traditions can be good, but Halmark is the biggest gainer for Feb. 14. We resist the urge to conform and celebrate love other times. I actually like the elementary tradition we had of giving cute little cut out valentines to everyone. Let’s just skip the romance and make it general Love day!

    • hello, ms.lilly,

      oh, hallmark’s business in our country has dropped down for maybe two decades now. here, it’s no longer cool and appreciated if one gives a card on special occasions. one may, but with flowers and/or chocolates to go with it, haha. ^^

      yes, the cut-outs using red and pink art papers are more personalized. enjoyed doing them (until high school, hehe), too.

      love day everyday? what a swell idea, thanks… honored you came by, ms. lilly.:)

  2. renxkyoko says:

    It seems almost everyone in the world thinks this one special day for lovers is all silly. And they’re right. But , we, nevertheless, indulge in it, savor it, anticipate it, and woe is the man who forgets this special day. LOL Guess we can’t help it, huh.

    Here’s to you……. CHEERS ! !

  3. hello, ren…

    “But , we, nevertheless, indulge in it, savor it, anticipate it, and woe is the man who forgets this special day.”

    what can i say, huh? yeah, i was at the airport on the occasion and i got one from guess who? the airport personnel, hehe. boy, was i glad, it’s V-day, you know? ^^

    thanks for dropping by again. warm regards to you & your family! 🙂

  4. A very nice piece! 🙂

  5. nadia says:

    V-day is over-rated and is good for those who are into the flowers, chocolates or restaurant business. I kinda agree with apronheadlilly comment; V-day was beautiful back in elementary days when we used to make hand-drawn cards ourselves to give to our friends, teachers or parents. That’s when one does not limit V-day celebration to just one person but to everyone.

    • hello, nadia,

      glad to see you! yes, valentines celebration is a little complicated for adults. back in the days when we were young, there’s always enough love to go around, haha.

      as we age, money and cost get factored in on the occasion. thus, all the frenzy and the pressure. oh, well…

      hope things are spinning well, your side of town. 🙂

      • nadia says:

        The only thing spinning wildly these days is sand! We’ve been having episodes of sandstorms since Friday, and cleaning up these fine desert sand is such a pain that I have finally given up and decided to let them settle peacefully on my furniture now 😀

  6. oh, didn’t know that fate has been dealing your furniture not so kindly. it’s good that you’ve opted for the Asian solution, which is to let things lie in the meantime… and for a moment there, i thought it was your love life that’s taking a turn for the best, huh… it’s the Valentines effect, you must pardon me, my dear. 🙂 🙂

  7. […] Of Valentines, Love and Other Falsehoods – sister and I just came from a trip to Hongkong. At the HK terminal going home, staff gave all passengers a rose made from red towel (cute), woefully reminding us of our Valentineless state, lol. […]

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