Valentine’s day is a time to show your loved one that you appreciate them. Shouldn’t you do that every day and not just one day out of the year? Or is it necessary for love to thrive? Is true love really as happy as people make it sound, or is there always a positive and negative side to it? Let’s find out.

Positive 

Love is a world language. Caring for others is an essential part of life, and Valentine’s day is a time to remind ourselves of the great potential of love. Having a day to show appreciation and love can inspire people to climb out of a dark place, to inspire hope and livelihood. Valentine’s day is about love, but not just for a significant other, love is shared through friends and family. We as a society have made it the norm to make it about relationships and couples, however, that is simply not the case. Valentine’s day is a powerful opportunity for anyone to go out of their way to recognize someone they love. 

Valentine’s day acts as an outlet to strengthen relationships; people may devote themselves to someone because of the spirit of the holiday. How else might people have the chance to come forth with their feelings? The spirit of the day is special yet simple, and this simplicity shouldn’t be let go of because of debatable feelings of true love. Kylie Miller, a senior at THS says, “I don’t think [Valentine’s day] should be taken so seriously, but if you find joy with it then go ahead.” Kylie’s opinion is as true as it gets; Valentine’s day can make people happy, and it should be celebrated however people want. 

Negative 

People shouldn’t show their love for others just one day out of the year. If you truly love someone, you would show and or tell them every day. Valentine’s day is a toxic holiday because “It creates an unrealistic reality” and “It reinforces outdated gender roles” according to Bustle.com. If you think about it, Valentine’s day can be stressful to some people you know. It creates this idea that you have to buy your significant other something or do something special you probably wouldn’t do on any regular day. 

People may feel forced to buy their significant other flowers or chocolates just because that’s what you do on Valentine’s day. Some may question if there partner really cares about them or if they are only buying this stuff cause they feel forced? What is the point of getting gifts if you are getting it for the wrong reasons? There are just some things that we should think about when looking at the holiday that is supposedly about showing your love. 

When asking senior, Callan Underwood on his opinion surrounding Valentine’s day here is what he had to say: He doesn’t see the point in Valentine’s day and he buys gifts every month or every other month, so doesn’t see the point in Valentine’s day. He thinks it shouldn’t be a holiday, but he would buy a simple gift for his girlfriend instead of going through this whole process of buying an extravagant gift for a holiday that doesn’t matter much since he shows his feelings for her more than just that one day.

Whether or not you have a Valentine, you can decide how you want to spend your Valentine’s day, and how you feel about true love.