Valentine’s Day is coming up. As a retail worker, I am dreading everyone coming in last minute and being upset because we have no more teddy bears or balloons. I despise being asked which chocolates are best, I loathe when customers question me about which flowers I think are the prettiest because, frankly, I really don’t care. I don’t get the hype. I do not get the obsession that everyone has with love. Love is overrated.
Here are 5 reasons why I do not want love coming my way:
- You do not need love. Society tells you that you need a relationship, but you don’t. Consider all the powerful, amazing women who never got married. Media attempts to convince us that love is important to us so that we will spend our money. We buy products to make us more attractive to others. We spend money on dates. We spend money on outfits for dates. We pay for dating sites or match makers to get the date.
- When you fall in love, you make yourself vulnerable to pain. I would like to be as happy as possible, all by myself. Love is built on very shaky ground, you can devote so much time and energy into one person to suddenly find out they do not feel the same way. And then what are you left with? A broken heart. Let me just enjoy the non-romantic relationships I have built and will build.
- Dogs are better than boyfriends/girlfriends. Do you really want to be tied down to one person for life or would you rather get unconditional love from a pet? Romantic relationships are time consuming. Pets are less hassle. Every couple argues, I understand, but I do not have the patience. Dogs never lie to you, they give you unlimited kisses, and they are always there when you want to cuddle. Come on now, we know which is the better choice!
- When a relationship turns bad, it can become unhealthy. The effects and damage from a bad relationship can last a lifetime. You do not want anyone hurting your confidence, or lowering your self-love. It is not worth it if it destroys who you are.
- Relationships can get in the way of your goals. For some people it is impossible for them to manage a relationship while focusing on their careers. What happened to setting goals to match your own needs rather than matching those of others to make them fall for you?
We do not need to be loved by someone to fuel our feeling of being loveable; we simply need to be open to receiving love from people in general. You do not need a relationship to have great companionships. Travel the world with your friends and make some new friends. My fellow collegiette shares with me: “All I need is the love of my friends, my family, love for myself, and a nice big box of chocolates. There are a lot more relationships to get love from on Valentine’s Day than a significant other and I think people often forget that.”
I am not against love. But I believe that this constant search for love is a waste of time. I find it crazy. Some people are so focused on “getting” love that they will question their self-worth or settle for a less-than-worthy partner. Society is in love with the thought of being in love. I suggest focusing on the search for yourself. Live for something more. Romantic love is not the only kind of love that exists. Mass media needs to be reminded of that.
I am not wasting my time looking for love, I don’t need it. I would rather sleep.