Does Valentine’s Day place too much emphasis on romantic love?

This week is Valentine’s Day, a tradition that leaves many divided. 

Some people like the tradition and enjoy the opportunity to stop and appreciate their spouse, while others feel it’s an arbitrary tradition that’s best ignored.

Most of the emphasis on Valentine’s Day is about romantic love, which can be alienating rather than inclusive.

While a romantic relationship can be a wonderful addition to your life, it’s not the only source of happiness, and fails to acknowledge all the different kinds of love that are in your life.

For example, the love you feel for your children and grandchildren, for the other members of your family, and for friends and neighbours can be just as important in your life, and in some cases much more important.

And what about the love of things? The love you feel for your favourite hobbies like gardening and painting, or the love and loyalty you feel to your home and community also have the potential to enrich your life.

Where Valentine’s Day often goes wrong is it fails to acknowledge that love is about much more than romance. If it did, perhaps people might be more inclined to celebrate this occasion.

What do you think? Does Valentine’s Day place too much emphasis on romantic love? Or is that the whole point? Share your views at Speakers Corner.