Chris Grieb Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 (edited) Wednesday is Valentine's Day. Valentine Day started as a religious holiday but has become a secular one in the US. I sent a couple of my friends greetings and suggestions. The suggestion was that chocolates and roses always went well for the day. Suddenly I hit by an idea. It's the middle of winter. Roses aren't growing many places in the US. Yet most men who want roses and can afford them can buy them. There is no Ministry of Romance making sure roses are available in most American cities. Many of the people growing, and preparing the roses don't even care about romance or love. Capitalism is a wonderful system so when you're with that special someone remember how all this wonderful stuff is possible. Happy Valentine's Day! Edited February 13, 2007 by Chris Grieb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Heaps-Nelson Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Happy Valentine's Day indeed! On Sunday, my brother, Rita, Aunt Libby and I went to the Tucson Gem Show. It's the biggest gem exhibition in the United States. You can also get a good deal on jewelry by buying in the last couple of hours of the last day of the exhibition :-).Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hudgins Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 [Even though I'm just an old bachelor, since there's a thread for it, I might as well re-post my Valentine piece from a few years ago. Enjoy! -- Ed]The Public Side of Private Love :heart: by Edward HudginsFebruary 14, 2003 -- Romantic love is the predominant theme in modern American culture. It's the number one topic of popular music. Movies that aren’t love stories usually have an amorous subplot. Affairs saturate soap operas and Oprah-type TV focuses on relationships. Valentine's Day is devoted to love. And the activity that is most associated with and often mistaken for romantic love—sex—is an industry in itself, with magazines, videos, and Web sites devoted to every desire and proclivity.One wonders, why with all this love in the air we have crime, hate and anger in our society? One also wonders, why something as profoundly personal and private as romantic love should be such a public matter?Essential activities of human life do not require intimate involvement with others. While good parents are important, ultimately we each create our own moral character. While good teachers are valuable, ultimately we each must acquire for ourselves the skills needed to make a living and to do fulfilling work. Further, we can each pursue elevating or relaxing pastimes by ourselves: reading a book, watching a ballgame. But how much richer our lives are if we can see in the character and actions of another person those values and traits that we admire most. And how much richer our lives are if another person appreciates us for our highest virtues and best qualities. And how wonderful it is if we can share mutual interests and activities with another: going to movies, plays, museums, sporting events, or restaurants; getting together with friends; and, yes, having sex, not as an ephemeral physical act but as a joyous celebration of our life with someone we love. And how happy we are if we can build a life, a marriage, a family together with another person. How blessed and joyous and full our lives will be if we love another and are loved in return!"Love" is a verb and "making love" means creating a world and a life with our beloved that only two can share. It is a private world founded on shared experiences, values, and emotions, and on a subtle and intimate understanding of one another. Those who share such a love might want to share the fact of their happiness with friends and family. But ultimately they’ll devote their energy and efforts to enhancing their own world, their own sanctuary. They won’t worry about seeking the approval of others. They won’t want to open every aspect of that world to others because that world is too precious to be opened to the random eyes of others.So why should such a private matter as romantic love be a matter of public concern? Much pop culture expresses and reflects a superficial version of romance that one would expect to appeal to sixteen year olds. But hey, we were all sixteen once! To the extent that individuals can retain throughout their lives the thrill and excitement that accompanies a new romance, these aspects of our culture reflect a healthy appreciation that happiness should be our goal in life.Too often, though, popular culture delivers instant gratification at the expense of real romance, and too many adults, allowing vapid culture to lead them by the nose, stay at the adolescent level of superficial infatuation, thus forgoing the deep and rich satisfaction of a mature love. Such culture dulls the senses and the soul, making romance less likely and life more hopeless and empty.Still, true romance in the private lives of individuals, which should be a private concern only, makes an important contribution to the public good. As Ayn Rand explained, lovers must "stand naked in spirit, as well as body" before one another. In romantic love at its best, lovers are mirrors for each other’s souls. We want our beloved to see the best within us and we want our best to be reflected in the affection and adoration shown to us by our beloved. Rand also likened love to a "command to rise," to strive to be our best. The moral character of individuals and thus moral foundations of a free society are strengthened by true love.So those without a love on Valentines Day should at least be glad about what it stands for, and those with loves should count their blessings, renew that love and celebrate the happiness that they have earned!----Edward Hudgins, Ph.D., is executive director of The Atlas Society/Objectivist Center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 (edited) Some of the Man-haters* are attacking Valentine's day because jets are used bring the flowers.*environementalists. Buy more flowers guys. Edited February 14, 2007 by Chris Grieb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danneskjold Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I thought manhaters were feminists? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I thought manhaters were feminists?Chris is using the term in the sense of "haters of the human race", as in those who think the human race is a cancer or a scourge upon Gaia, the earth mother.Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 A virus with legs, perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hudgins Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Judith -- Good description. And the human-haters don't want us -- men and women -- to make mother Earth our mistress. They're just no fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Pross Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Judith -- Good description. And the human-haters don't want us -- men and women -- to make mother Earth our mistress. They're just no fun!Mother Earth is a bitch that needs to be whipped into submission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Mother Earth is a bitch that needs to be whipped into submission. Steamy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danneskjold Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Man, this place is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNA Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Victor wrote:Mother Earth is a bitch that needs to be whipped into submission. D'oh...oh, my... :shocked: :devil: :whistle: :devil: :whistle: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hudgins Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Victor -- Never mind my touchy-feely intellectualizing; yours' is the right Howard Roark response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Well, if this Earth don't act right, he's gonna Roark that muh'ufcker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danneskjold Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 *winks at Jeff* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danneskjold Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 :devil: *total waste of a post* BWAHAHA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 My goodness. You guys have been having all KINDS of fun during the few hours of my absence. Good thing I haven't been on vacation....Judith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Join us, Judith. :devil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrighty Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Environmentalists this side of the pond would never get a word in Edgeways about Valentine's Day. Its another of those secular holidays that greetings card companies, retailers, flower growers, gifts purveyors et al feast over in the calendar.I just wonder what they do between Easter and Halloween??Just reminds me of a satirical quote I heard donkey's years ago about the commercial meaning of Christmas - "...and lo there shall come a great profit throughout the land....."but is Valentine's Day different things to different ages?Seems like a public amnesty for private feelings.......... Long Live Love!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Grieb Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 Peter; I know what flower and greeting card salesman love. Mother's day, Father's day, Grandparent's day, Graduations. Grandparent's is a totally invented day solely by the greeting card companies. All of them are between Easter and Halloween. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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