A Better Valentine’s Day
The legend holds that St. Valentine was beheaded for marrying Christian couples in third-century Rome, making him an early Christian martyr. This is the origin of today’s modern Valentine’s Day custom of gifts lavished on spouses, partners and loved ones. This day has come to be marked as nearly every other holiday is: by shopping.
Even in the midst of a deep recession, the National Retail Federation predicts that people living in the Unites States will spend what amounts to over $100 each this year on chocolates, cards, flowers and other baubles designed to make their partners happy: happy that is, at least on February 14th.
Let’s think about this for just a minute. We live in a time in our country where jobs are being lost by the thousands each month; children are in need of health care; food banks have empty shelves and long lines; and homes are being regularly lost to foreclosure.
In the midst of the clarion call for “change” that appears to have gripped the country, perhaps this year it would be better if we celebrated Valentines Day—and those we love—a little differently. Here are some options:
What if we took $10, $25 or $50 or even $100 of that Valentine’s Day spending money and used it in service of others. Across the country, issues like poverty, child sexual abuse, homelessness and joblessness grow in severity. Moreover, we don’t need to look across the ocean to find children going to sleep alone, hungry and cold—there’s plenty of that in our own back yard. You may think that giving $10 or $25 doesn’t make a big difference, but it adds up quickly, and it may be what helps a single mother and her children make it through the month.
How about donating the time you would spend shopping, eating a fancy dinner out or going to a show and instead volunteer for a nonprofit organization in your community? You could be a mentor, sort clothes, deliver food boxes, or volunteer at a number of worthwhile organizations. Consider dedicating your donation or your volunteer time in the name of your loved one—or even better, consider donating your time and money together, as a couple or a family.
And finally, on this Valentine’s Day, maybe we should forget the cards and flowers and actually take steps to make our relationships truly healthy, stable and enduring—after all isn’t that really the point? I don’t mean to suggest that letting the people in your life know that you love them is not a worthy pursuit, but is buying gifts the best way to let them know how you feel?
Let’s take a collective step back and think about what really matters. In these challenging times, let’s be the change and make Valentines Day stand for something more than shopping.
da best. Keep it going! Thank you
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