Extending Valentine

(You may wish to skip the first two paragraphs. They have little you don't already know) Most people know that Valentine was bucking the system. He "stuck it to the man" when the authorities were being idiots. He did it in the name of love and we found his actions so worthy that we commemorate him and his ideals every year. Like so many other holidays, though, Valentine's Day has slowly become pretty much another commercial/consumer excuse. Many feel the ideal has been co-opted by money. It's easy to see their point. I didn't celebrate Valentine's Day yesterday because of schedule conflict. I will be celebrating through the weekend. So if the money is tied to the day, let's do an end run on the day. Let's hijack the celebration and carry it out over the following month! Let's take the best of the day and put it into active practice, continually. Love isn't just sweetness and gooey sentiment. Love still has a function in rebellion. There is a lot of fear being dealt out by the media and government and other institutions. Fear is becoming the official message. What better to counter it than love? And that is an act of rebellion. Vive la revolution! Society seems to be getting more selfish, too. Love is a primary instrument in overcoming this as well. Do not let the ideals of commerce guide the principles of humanity. Love demands sharing and giving; let it be a model. Viva la revolucion!