Ok, we know the drill by now. Based on my totally scientific internet analysis, you are 94% more likely to find an article about being single on Valentine’s Day than you are to find an article on how to spend the day as a couple.
It’s simple math — more people in the “reads clickbait articles to waste time” demographic are young, single and yearning for ideas.
I fall into this demographic as well. Aside from one Bumble date my freshman year where both my taco-loving suitor and I did not realize it was Valentine’s Day (hint — that was the only date), I’ve successfully managed to spend the day alone every year. Shockingly, I’ve survived!
This could be another article on how eating pasta on V-Day with your pals prevents the single pains or how to use a vibrator to beat any potential Valentine’s date. Instead, I posit Valentine’s Day as a time to explore all aspects of how we love.
Repopularized by a New York Life Super Bowl commercial, C.S. Lewis described the four Greek words for love in “The Four Loves” — philía (love between friends), storgē (familial love), erōs (romantic love) and agápē (love in action). Understanding and awareness for how all of these types of love fit into our lives is crucial for a Valentine’s Day reflection.
For most single college students, love between friends is easy to execute on V-day. With the night free of any date plans, a coffee catch-up or group dinner is typically easy to arrange. For those who are romantically involved, however, this love sometimes gets out of wack.
Texts from your significant other fill up your communications, and friends gradually fall out of touch. Tied-down individuals might find good use this Valentine’s Day to reflect on where their friendships stand and reconnect with old friends if one finds they are out of touch.
For most college students, it is pretty easy to forget our parents, siblings or anyone else we see as family figures while on the study grind. Remember to reach out of your college bubble during this season to check in on your loved ones — they’ve had your back since the beginning.
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Of course, romantic love is hardly neglected on Valentine’s Day. It’s how Hallmark makes its profit! For those singly-afflicted, use this day as an opportunity for self-love. Determine what you already love in yourself, and make plans to improve on the areas that you don’t love as much.
Love in action is perhaps the easiest of these to execute, yet from time to time, we fail to display it. The best use for Valentine’s Day, regardless of ilk, is to show love to our communities.
Volunteer your time, dedicate yourself to acts of kindness and reject divisive actions. We all inevitably falter in this point from time to time, but it is imperative for us to decry our previous transgressions and strive to put love in action always.
So this Valentine’s Day, do more than binge-watch “13 Going on 30”, and examine how you live the four aspects of love.
