Let me go ahead and immediately separate myself from the masses by saying that I love Valentine’s Day. Yes, I have a girlfriend, but that in no way influences my view of Valentine’s Day. In fact, my girlfriend hates Valentine’s Day. So, even in my relationship, I am alone in my feelings.

For years, I have listened to people complain about what a terrible day Valentine’s Day is. How it makes single people feel bad about being single, and how it forces people to be romantic for no specific reason. It comes as no surprise that I am once again surrounded by such rants.

A leading argument of the anti-Valentine’s Day militants is that it puts pressure on men to be romantic. As a male, I can only respond with, “What is wrong with that?”

So what if men feel a little extra pressure to be romantic on Valentine’s Day? If there’s one thing the world, and more specifically relationships, could all use a little more of, it is love.

Let’s face it, men are not always on their most romantic behavior, so why is it so wrong for a man to go out of his way to be romantic on Valentine’s Day?

And it doesn’t need to be a one-sided thing either.

What is wrong with a woman taking the extra time on this one day of the year to be a little more romantic? I am sure men would love for their girlfriends to take a little extra time to do something special for them.

Too often Valentine’s Day is used as a scapegoat. A time when you can requite for 364 days of lovelessness with one day of all-out, over-the-top romanticism.

This is unfortunate, but why should we punish the day of love because people try to make up for lost time? I firmly believe both men and women should be romantic as much as possible, but with so much going on and lives moving at 1,000 mph, what’s wrong with holding on to one day when nothing else matters but love?

Barring the Valentine’s Day haters, I don’t know anyone who does not enjoy special occasions, and it boggles my mind that people could be so against a special occasion dedicated to love!

I know that many of the sentiments I express are not shared by other men, and obviously even some women have their issues with Valentine’s Day. To those people, I suggest it is time to think outside of the box, and look at Valentine’s Day on a much grander scale.

Valentine’s Day does not have to be all about relationships. I have been through many Valentine’s without a girlfriend, 21 to be exact, and I have always loved this most amorous of days.

You do not need to be in love to be able to express love. Valentine’s Day is a great day to remind your family how much you love them and your friends how much they mean to you. There is no Valentine’s Day rule-book that says you can only express love to someone whom you are in love with.

Love is the greatest of all human emotions, and I believe everyone enjoys knowing that someone loves them. Valentine’s Day evokes a wide array of emotions in people, but I can’t help but think of a most appropriate line from one of my favorite movies, Moulin Rouge.

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return.”