TODAY is St. Valentines Day, meant to celebrate love and affection between friends and companions. By tradition, it is characterised by the anonymous exchange of love notes, letters, and token gifts between persons of the opposite sex. An event that began as a medieval Christian tradition in the West has ridden on the back of globalisation to become an enduring feature of the culture of the rest of the world. From Nigeria to Japan, India to Slovenia, Guatemala to Saudi Arabia, love is celebrated in its many formsfilial, erotic, agapeon Valentines Day by the young and the old. Especially in Nigeria, what is a foreign import has assumed the status of a big social event, with an emphasis on the commercial aspect. The buying and selling of gift items has become big business and consumerism has taken over what should be a spiritual affair. It is no exaggeration that the giving and the receiving of giftsand not merely of any type but expensive and unique oneshas become central to the celebration of the day. It is not uncommon to be warned in advance by a friend of the opposite sex to not send mere flowers and or card but something sensible. So, today, no object is too expensive or too large to be expected from or given to ones Val. St. Valentines Day has been largely hijacked by commercial interests that now fuel a materialist culture. Two points need be emphasised in respect of this feast. First, the gifts are supposed to be symbolic and this is why, in its early days, paper valentines in the form of handwritten notes and poems, red rose and such other simple but nevertheless sentimentally valuable items were exchanged. The point here is that this day should not provide an opportunity to extort or to exploit. Indeed, emphasis by a lady on material gifts would demean her as a chattel. There are many ways to show affection, appreciation and love on this day. An evening at the theatre or the cinema or dining out together, are just two of these. Even the verbal expression of love from a loved one is of immense value especially in those marital relationships in which it is seldom uttered or heard. The risk is there though that the speaker risks being challenged to prove it by backing it with cash or something tangible. Here again, materialism rears its ugly head, so to speak and distorts the spirit of the occasion. Second, contrary to popular belief in this environment and elsewhere, it is not only the male partner in a relationship that must give, the female partner can and should too. For example, it is known that in South Korea, and in Japan, women give chocolates to men on Valentines Day while men give non-chocolate candy in return. St. Valentines Day offers opportunity to heal emotional injuries and improve relationships at interpersonal, domestic, and intergroup level. We would therefore urge that Nigerians see its value in a large context and let the spirit of pure love, appreciation and affection for one another, reign in their hearts today and always. In a country where there is so much expression of hate, where politicians are mauling each other and there is growing inhumanity of man to man, the value of love is something that should be imbibed. Nigerians in celebrating Valentines Day should reflect on what it truly means to be ones brothers keeper and to love others as the self. Given the reign of anomie in the land, Nigeria is one country in need of love as a value and as a way of life. Todays Valentines Day should inspire a devotion to the higher values of love, not those of licentiousness. Happy Valentines Day.
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