Beer Utopia
As a child on Valentine's Day is a matter not. It bothered me at least for him and was not aware of its existence when I was about 16 years. Even then I did not care to find out what happens on that day. After serving 18 years exactly seven days before Valentine's Day and saw a documentary that talked on its history and origin linked to festivals of fertility in ancient Rome where the young women instead of being endowed with candy or flowers, as is the practice today, were whipped with strips of animal skin in an attempt to increase their fertility.
Centuries later, Christians celebrate St. Valentine, a priest who performs ceremonies marriage a secret for the soldiers, a practice that was banned in many ways. In the 1400's Valentine's Day was well established in England. His emphasis insignificant in rituals like drawing names from a bowl to discover the identity of true love. However, I realized that maybe there was something else on this day that I met my eye, so he embarked on a journey of self discovery.
The next day I asked some friends who were more experience in the dating department what they thought of Valentine's Day and what their plans were for the day. I had no idea, although one said he was overrated. I do not know what he meant and felt like I was talking to the wrong people.
So I waited for Valentine's Day to see if maybe my parents who were older and wiser and be more familiar with the concept that would do anything extraordinary. Not surprisingly, in the afternoon of D my dad sat in front of the TV watching "Soccer Made in Germany" and drinking beer, while my mother worked in the kitchen making dinner as usual family.
I concluded that at that time if my parents had no time to "celebrate", then, indeed, perhaps Valentine was a normal day.
Six years later, my quest forgotten and one week for Valentine's Day, there was the usual frenzy surrounding the day. For 45 minutes I sat listening to my colleagues in the share of French class for their views, beliefs, experiences and expectations of what should or should not happen on Valentine's Day. It was really funny because the word "overrated", "exaggerated Up" and "marketing" kept emerging during the debate. Then the teacher asked me to share my thoughts that I politely declined to explain in broken French that I had no idea I never had a Valentine's Day and jokingly added that he would give an arm to understand what he really meant overrated.
All the world chuckled, perhaps out of compassion or understanding. No se. But after school that day I thought that maybe everyone was taking in this way days too seriously.
You see that there is nothing wrong with having a little fun. And I think that Valentine's Day is meant to be fun, at least for those who have been waiting all year to tell this girl or boy who never have been more than a bird's eye view that you're into them, and do it in a special way. I think it's just a day for two people who love to say just that. There is nothing wrong with that. It's true: love should be expressed every day. But it is not, nor live in the utopia.
My point is, nowhere says that someone has to buy this or that, or stand to face eternal damnation if they do not. What If Valentine's Day has been commercialized? Just goes to show that employers are smart people. By working so hard to dismiss can only be the addition of more relevance and undue unnecessary pressure on yourself and others. Let's stop being so serious and have fun.
Lilian Okado is an entrepreneur and professional writer. Author of “Say Cheese or get Cheesed”, Lilian Successfully runs Say Cheese Writers Bureau, a copywriting company.
Beer Utopia Ep#003