Pheew… another 14th February rolls around, and this time it falls on a Sunday – not like it makes any difference though.

Quick question: Is it just me, or there seem to be an increasing significance to this day year after year?

To Valentine or Not to Valentine?

After giving it some thought, I have come to the resolution that the hype is more pronounced amongst a specific demographic (those in their 20s) and is only prominent from my perspective because I happen to fall in that age bracket. This is quite logical though, as the quest for love (in terms of finding “THE ONE”) peaks at this stage for most people, and there’s a subtle sense of urgency that comes with it for those in question.

Of course, the frenzy across social media platforms as regards Valentine’s day revolves around bants and jokes (many of which are hilarious by the way), but buried deep within these trends is an underlying, dare I say unhealthy pressure, especially for those who aren’t all “boo’d up” in such a season. For some, it is more like a toxic reminder of their inability to “find love”, and with the way the internet space is structured, it is difficult to entirely escape these hints – like that annoying alarm that keeps buzzing at you all morning without an option to switch it off.

This pressure, if not properly managed, can lead to a state of psychological vulnerability, and in response to this imbalance, there is a possible proneness to desperation. Well, it isn’t news that desperation is bad news when it comes to matters of the heart, but unfortunately, people continue to fall victim to this loop. Even St. Valentine must be wondering how we got here.

Post ‘Valentine’s day’ is often characterized by varying stories – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

“The good”

“The good” was intentionally included in the last sentence preceding this paragraph. As always, I believe it is necessary to balance things out. Of course, it does not go without saying that some people have had beautiful things happen to them on the back of the season of love. Some people indeed found “THE ONE”, some took things a step further with an engagement or a proposal, and some others sealed what they had going on with a vow unto forever. Beautiful stories have been recorded.

But is that all there is to Love?… I think not.

A Different Kind of LOVE

Enough of the tales of romance:)
There’s so much to it, and I’d rather avoid it completely than offer a half baked opinion on the inexhaustible topic.

For the purpose of this discussion, I invite you to step away from all the drama associated with romantic relationships for a moment and join me to examine the subject of Love from another perspective – the Agape kind of Love.

The LOVE Project.

At the dawn of the new year, I shared a project a friend of mine (Mercy Oluwaniyi) was working on which she called “The Love Project”. So basically, she gathered a pool of opinions on the topic of Love, and for every day of the year, she posts one of these opinions on the Instagram handle dedicated to the project.

Needless to say, in a world where people are quickly forgetting what Love truly means, this project has been a blessing to me personally. We are currently 45 days into the year (time flies indeed!), and every single opinion has been an eye-opener to different aspects of love we tend to ignore.

Well, it is said that there is Love in sharing, so I decided to share these wonderful opinions with y’all:). For the reason of space, I am unable to quote them all, so I handpicked a few to serve you. For the full meal, check out the IG page…

Opinions on Love

“Love is the connection between the horizontal and the vertical relationships needed to be fulfilled on Earth. Love comes from God (vertical) and is spread on Earth (horizontal)” – Aderinto Nicholas Oluwaseyi.

“Love has been confused for a lot of things, but when Love is real, it is sacrificial, wholesome and beautiful” – Ochem Michael.

“Love doesn’t have to be all complex. Love is also seen in the little things and can be felt in the smallest of acts” – Mercy Oluwaniyi.

“Love is the one language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear” – Obit Ubonabasi.

“One thing is constant about Love; it is never spoken of without freewill… Love is not forceful… True love doesn’t say I must be chosen, true love gives the opportunity to be freely chosen” – Cyprian Dalong.

“To love properly, we also need to show love to ourselves. Those who find it hard to love themselves will find it hard to love another person” – Peace Akinpelu.

“Love is one thing I know is easy to expect, yet difficult to give out. In as much as Love is doing to someone what you want them to do to you, it is not doing to another because you want them to do it back to you” – Moses Maxwell.

“Love is forgiveness, caring for others when they are not at their best” – Adetutu.

“Love is a state of mind expressed through words, thoughts, and actions… Love is not blind to flaws (like they say), it actually overlooks them and focuses on the attributes it chooses to” – Ocheja Chubiyojo.

“To know Love is to know that God loves the woman on the street. To know Love is to know that God loves the man who killed another… To know love is to show love” – Ebiringa Afoma

“Love is more than an emotion. It is independent of situation, environment, and circumstance… Love is Sacrifice. Love is Communion. Love is responsibility…” – Daniel Oyari.

“Love is a bright light, it cannot be hidden” – Merari Jurist.

“In loving someone, you sign up for the worst just as much as you sign up for the best of that person” – Oluchi Dike.

“Love is giving your attention, time, resources, even when you know the recipient is unable to reciprocate” – Ilori Tomisin.

“Love is not compromising your standards just to please someone; Love stands for what is right and true, no matter how hard the circumstances may be” – Phebe Salami

“Love is a CHOICE!” – Blessing Idakwo

And then, there is my opinion…

“LOVE — the sweetest, yet most misconstrued phenomenon in human history. A concept that has been articulated and expressed in so many divergent ways, but most of its modern-day usage is indeed far from its original context.
Love isn’t a feeling, neither is it merely emotions. Love isn’t in the presents, neither is it validated by mere words. True love transcends these transient items.
True love is 1 Corinthians 13.
True love is 1 John 4.
True love is John 3:16.
And above all, GOD IS LOVE!“

What is Love to You?… Feel free to share down in the comments section.