It’s that time of year again. Valentine’s Day is here, but there is more than love in the air. Every year for as long as I can remember, the Valentine’s Day haters make their dramatic and unashamed emergence into the social media atmosphere. While some choose to attack Valentine’s Day at its core with unapologetic slander, others decide to get more “creative” renaming it “Singles Awareness Day” or, even more eloquently, “the worst day ever.”

For the sake of inquisition, I have but one question to ask: why? Why does everyone hate Valentine’s Day? At this point, I have to blame our culture. It is obvious to anyone who is capable of observing anything at all that we live in a time that puts all the importance on relationships and pushes singleness to the backburner. To many members  of our generation, being single seems like a problem that needs to be fixed, a disease that needs to be cured, a half empty cup, longing to be filled.

However, this is just not true! There is nothing wrong with being single! I know it may seem strange, maybe even outlandish, but it’s the truth. Just because you are single does not mean that you are any less of a person. So cheer up! That lucky guy or gal may be just around the corner.

And even if they aren’t, shouldn’t we be content with what God has given us? Aren’t we called to live in such a way where the presence of God sustains us, not the presence of some significant other? We should not embrace our singleness in a way that glorifies self-pity, romantic comedies and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, but in a way that glorifies God, praising our creator’s great name for the many blessings God has given us.

Or maybe I missed the mark entirely. Maybe it’s not the singleness issue at all. Maybe it is simply that people are sick of the cheesiness. Do you think it is possible that our generation is sick of the cliche that is Valentine’s Day? I suppose it’s not an entirely ridiculous idea.

However, this love theme never seems to run out in our culture. Take a look at the new movies coming out, the new albums that are about to be dropped and the articles in the popular magazines. It seems as if every genre of media is obsessed with the classic love story. I mean, let’s face it, people never get sick of the classic boy-meets-girl romance. Something about the simplicity of it tugs at our hearts and pulls on some part of us that makes us human.

I believe that Paul McCartney put it best. Every time I play his timeless song “Silly Love Songs,” off of his 1976 album “Wings at the Speed of Sound,” I am enchanted. Sure, part of it is the strong orchestral elements of the piece, the unapologetically catchy bass line and the perfect use of brass, but ultimately the message is perfect.

“You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs. I look around and see it isn’t so. Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs, and what’s wrong with that?” I think this is the crux of the matter. Sure, some of us are single and some of us are in relationships, but at the end of the day it is this lyric that we are screaming from our hearts, as we can’t help but fall in love with the latest romantic comedy or One Direction single. We all want to experience love —  and there is nothing wrong with that — but don’t take it out on Valentine’s Day.

Instead of complaining about being single and the lack of love in your life on Feb. 14, take a minute to realize the love surrounding you in every moment from your friends, your family and God. So take a moment this Valentine’s Day to sit down, throw on your own favorite silly love song and take in all the love that surrounds you. Soon you will experience the point of Valentine’s Day.

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily represent the views of Calvin Chimes, Calvin College or the Christian Reformed Church.