A few days after the holiday on which we celebrate and praise love, Valentine’s Day, the magic of the holiday continues to hang in the air. This feeling continues even throughout February. Sometimes people forget, that even after the end of the month they must not stop showing and giving love.
Let’s see how Valentine’s Day came about. Historical resources do not give a definitive answer to how and why, but there are several popular legends. According to some, it began as a pagan feast of fertility, celebrated in the second week of February in ancient Rome. The holiday was later accepted by Christians.
However, the more polar legend tells the story of the Roman priest named St. Valentine, who disobeyed the marriage ban that was imposed by the Roman emperor Claudius II. The last believed that his soldiers would be more effective if their hearts were focused only on the front line, not
longing for someone. St. Valentine disagreed with the ruler’s opinion and in protest, he secretly married couples who wanted to sanctify their union. His actions were later revealed and he was sentenced to death by the emperor as a punishment.
While awaiting his sentence in the dungeon, St. Valentine received many cards and flowers from the couples he had married. It was believed, that he had fallen in love with the jailer’s daughter, and before his execution on February 14, he sent his beloved one a card signed with the words “From your Valentine”. Thus, thanks to a priest, the whole world, and especially all couples, are overwhelmed by holiday fever and everyone rushes to look for the most romantic gift to surprise their partner.
The theme of love should be central to the life of each of us, not just on a specific day or month. Surely everyone has wondered what love is, what its place in life is, and how it manifests.
The reality is that love is part of existence itself, of ourselves. The question “What is love” is constantly present in our daily lives. Whether we think about it or not, whether we leave space for ourselves, a moment of peace and quiet to hear the answer, but all this is a personal responsibility. Love is always around us and in us. It has thousands of dimensions. It can be love for a partner, love for children, love for parents, family, friends, nature, animals, and even love for adventures, art, and the world. The list is long. Everyone decides for themselves what it should contain.
As we have already pointed out in the article Love as a path to self-improvement, the most important thing is love for ourselves. Because if we do not love ourselves, if we do not take care of our mental and physical health, if we do not treat ourselves with understanding and tolerance, and everything that makes us who we are, we will never feel complete. Only when we learn to love ourselves will we realize how ridiculous it is to constantly look for something external that will justify
the gap within us and fill it. Then we will be able to be self-sufficient and in harmony with ourselves. Because the truth is that the energy we radiate is the one we attract the most. When we love ourselves and feel complete, then we will attract other such people to ourselves. Or, more specifically, a person with whom we will be able to be in a relationship without depersonalizing each other, to be both individuals and part of a whole.
Love is not a simple exchange of gifts and tender words on Valentine’s Day. I got you a plush heart, and now you will take me to a restaurant. This can be considered as tasteless ostentation. Love is much more than that. It is understanding and respect. It hides in the small shared moments throughout the year. It is to cook dinner together or drink your coffee in silence in the morning. You can see it when someone gives you their last bite or just listens to you when you want to share how your workday went. Love is all this and much more. That is why we must not stop showing it and giving it to ourselves, as well as to everything around us.
