QUESTIONING THE VERACITY OF SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY COMMEMORATION: A MORAL IMPLICATION IN THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Saint Valentine's Day celebrations permeate society as an enigmatic custom that raises ethical difficulties. This study assesses the ethical implications of Valentine's Day celebrations in contemporary culture. In this paper, I argue that the celebration of Valentine's Day deviates from its historical roots, resulting in a contemporary commercialized environment that fosters materialism. Intimate love relationships between humans are as old as the existence of Homo sapiens, but the concept of true love is perversely conceived and misconstrued by the contemporary world. I propose an incisive understanding of Saint Valentine's Day, which necessitates a historical-cultural examination that investigates how the ritual sustains and shapes contemporary societal norms in interpersonal communication. The commemoration of Saint Valentine's Day yields considerable moral repercussions as it fosters the proliferation of materialistic and consumerist tendencies that undermine love and goodwill, ultimately squandering generosity. Each culture needs to apply the utilitarian ethical theory by judging the morality of their love relationships based on their consequences, aiming to maximize overall happiness and minimize suffering. By doing so, there is a likelihood of meaningful love amongst humanity based on interdependence and peaceful co-existence. I have used both qualitative and empirical data to garner the ideas in this essay. Keywords: Modern Society, Cultural Influences, Ethical Implications, Saint Valentine's Day