And just like that, January 2023 is over. Just when we were just warming up for 2023, the first 31 days of Year of the Water Rabbit passed in an instant. Better days are indeed ahead, with COVID-19 cases at a minimal number in the country, and most countries finally opening up fully and ditching the mandatory antigen and RT-PCR test requirements for all visitors. February is one of my favorite months of the year, as the birthdays of my spouse and first-born son fall on this month. Not only that, February is also the love month, as Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14, one of the most celebrated and most anticipated celebrations that we all look forward to. Once in a year, we are given this special chance to openly and publicly express our affection for all our loved ones.
Being a more matured person than I was probably some twenty years ago, I find these youngsters’ “desperate” attempts to catch someone special just for the sake of celebrating this day a bit annoying and upsetting. It seems that life will not go on if they don’t have a boyfriend or a girlfriend whom they will spend this special moment with. In fact, some ladies who are single seem to feel hopeless in their lives and even feel that they are less of a person because nobody will give them flowers, chocolates, and gifts on the day of hearts.
Of course, the fact cannot be denied that having someone special is indeed something that one must really be thankful for. However, it does not mean that if you are, at the moment, single and available, it is not something that you should be ashamed of and that you have to move heavens and earth just to find someone to call your own. I think most of us grown-ups would despise the reality that the age of those interested in being in a relationship seem to be younger and younger. Consequently, this development has resulted in the increasing number of teen pregnancies in the country, and it is indeed becoming an alarming issue that we must definitely look into.
I think what older people like us must start doing is make the younger generation realize that these things should not be rushed, and that they need to prioritize more important things like their studies and their future careers before plunging themselves into a relationship. Parents should provide guidance and even the necessary attention to help these youngsters make wise decisions even at this early point in their lives.
So for once, while we celebrate the grandeur of this so-called love thing, let us also be heedful of the more important aspects rather than give our attention to superficial things like having dates, flowers, chocolates and others on this Valentines’ Day. It may be called an advocacy, but being able to help provide the proper guidance and support to these young individuals is definitely considered as love in such a way that we are going out of our ways to help them achieve their utmost potentials and become successful people someday. This is one act of love that we must start doing, and hopefully, we are able to contribute our efforts, however small these are, in molding the future generation of this nation.