Love is priceless, don’t cheapen it

It is slightly ironic that when Max Ehrmann wrote in the prose poem Desiderata that one should never “be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass”, he would choose to capitalise on its sentiments by distributing it as a Christmas card.

Today is, some might say, the most cynical exploitation of the sweet emotions of love – Valentine’s Day.

The capitalist world has turned it into an orgy of spending on saccharine and schmaltz, which is underpinned by fear… fear of not getting a gift or card (you’re unlovable) or fear of not sending one (how can I prove my love otherwise?)

Public declarations of love – of the romantic kind – especially when they are made along with everyone else, also carry with them the danger of cheapening one of the most intimate expressions one human can share with another.

ALSO READ: Celebrate Valentine’s Day the Thai way

Love is, after all, a meeting of souls… and do you need an audience for such a meeting?

More importantly, do you need a specific day to let someone else know that they are your reason for getting up in the morning?

So, let’s just live, laugh and love. And enjoy the day, whatever it brings…