I am currently working on an article (due alarmingly soon actually, but I digress) which had me researching the various celebrations of Valentine’s Day around this chunk of rock we call home. One thing struck me over and over again as I read through the information; no matter what the culture or clime, everyone seemed to stick to a few elementary rituals and practices. The tried and true combination of flowers, candy and cards reappeared time and time again. Is this really what romance has boiled down to, a hackneyed set of images from Hollywood and Hallmark? It would appear so.

Follow up:

When I started this research I was hoping to find rich gems of tradition from other cultures, insight into the courtship rituals of other countries. Oh sure, Valentine’s Day is a western invention, but surely there were others who had claimed it and made it there own. Well, no. From Denmark to South Africa, Japan to Germany the celebrations happen, but they are all distressingly similar. It got me to thinking about the down side to being a global village, all linked together by information and images that fly round the world in the blink of an eye. We’re shifting ever closer to being the generic, singular race that the USS Enterprise used to get mocked for finding on every planet. One language, one culture, and really bad taste in unitards. Noble in theory, and yet I find myself saddened by what this blending will cost, especially if we drift away from our roots and become a corporately sponsored populace, our traditions transformed by product placement, well planned advertising campaigns and catchy slogans.

I know that there are deep and abiding cultural differences that still exist, some for the better and some for the worse. I know that we are a long way from being a singular population. But this week I started to realize how far we’ve already come, and I can see what it might cost us if we don’t start recognizing that some differences are necessary, and that the masses do not always make the best collective decisions. If we don’t pay attention today, some day we’ll all wake up wearing unitards. Mark my words.