Something about the hols
Many people often say about how commercialised many of our holidays have become - Valentine day, Mother & Father Day, Christmas etc etc. Many would also say how these days are marketing gimmicks of vendors and retailers. While I do not disagree with these broad statements and indeed, vendors & retailers capitalised greatly on such occasions to make a "killing", I would also like to offer another perspective on the importance of such ‘festives’.
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The modern urbanites are often caught in the vicious rat race of this materialistic and realistic world. There ain’t many who would voluntarily slow down their pace, simply to "smell the roses", for fear of losing out to the person next to them. Thus, such commercialised occassions have come to become an important necessity.
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The fact that such occassions are heavily capitalised by retailers and the commercial world would meant that it would be greatly publicised and marketed. The result is that people has come to be very well acquainted with that to the extent that its celebration cannot be missed out, else it might mean an unfillal son/daughter or a non-caring boyfriend/girlfriedn etc etc. Of course, you important other half or parents might not say something directly about it, but there’s this expectation that one would do something special on this day.
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You might defend ground and say that in the case of a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend should be understanding of the rigorous requirements, stressful working demands and long working hours that most face these days and thus might not be able to celebrate such occassions and one should not join the bandwagon simply becos other are celebrating. However, I beg to differ. I believe career is just another aspect of life, just like your relationship. Each of them are just as important to the individual self as the totality of all these aspect made up the person. While one is heavily pursuing one aspect of his life, he should not neglect the other areas.
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The positive aspects of such heavily publicised event is that it has the effect of forcing people to slow down their pace, to plan something special for his other half, for people important to them, to relight the flames that have been left smoothering for the rest of the year. While it should have been a daily affair to show care and concern and to make everyday special to those important to you, I guess so doing only on special occasions can be considered the barest of the bare minimum. Thus, this is how I see such "commercialised" occasions.
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Do slow down and smell the roses, my friends, before they are gone…forever.
