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Hi everyone,
I think Valentine’s Day lost its appeal for me when I was in Standard 2 and Gerhard Vermaak didn’t give me his heart.
In fact, not only didn’t he give me his heart-heart in return for mine which I gave to him EVERY SINGLE NIGHT in my dreams, but he didn’t even give me a stupid chocolate one.
This process was repeated over many years featuring a small cast of indifferent boys. And the disappointment sucked every time.
But then suddenly I had boyfriends and eventually a husband. And stupid old Valentine’s Day lost its very last smidgeon of power over me, because every year my honey and I would be safe in the knowledge that we loved each other at least 340 days of the year.
Yep. I was a smug-married. Or at least smugly coupled. Until this year…
This weekend I realised that this will be the first time in 17 years that I’ll be spending Valentine’s Day alone. And I’m not even going to pretend there wasn’t a small part of me feeling a speck of dread.
But then the lovely Sam and Dre (yes, THAT Sam and Dre!) told me about this movement/documentary/fantastic idea called Occupy Love that is screening at The Labia on Friday at 18:15.
No one can deny that the world we’re living in is falling into economical and ecological collapse. This is greatly because the power structures and the social values that support them are flawed. People are driven by greed and envy and anger and impatience and we’re all suffering for it.
So these folk decided to ask why? Why don’t we stop? Why don’t we focus on love? I know it sounds incredibly hippy-ish, but read this first before you judge…
From the director of Occupy Love:
“We will transcend the howling complaints of our ego, let go the petty jealousies, and breathe, deeply, before we act, remembering to love. Remembering to remember.
The time is now, not a moment too soon. We will laugh in the face of cynicism, and dare to be radically optimistic, against all odds, because nothing less will do.”
Now if that isn’t something spectacular to focus all this Valentine’s Day energy on, I don’t know what is!
So, this Friday, I’m going to focus on good citizenship and non-romantic love. Because this idea that coupledom trumps everything else is nonsense. I’d appreciate a few ideas on how to do this. Please?
Otherwise I might just end up eating pizza from a box and watching horror movies.
For more information about this so-crazy-it-might-just-work initiative go to Occupy Love. We’re also giving away tickets to the movie screening at the Labia for our Cape Town readers.
Do you think the way we act towards each other, towards the planet and towards humanity as a whole can make a difference? Or would you rather stick to the chocolate hearts and teddy bears?
Let us know and we can give you either a t-shirt or a movie ticket!
Love and non-romantic love.
I think Valentine’s Day lost its appeal for me when I was in Standard 2 and Gerhard Vermaak didn’t give me his heart.
In fact, not only didn’t he give me his heart-heart in return for mine which I gave to him EVERY SINGLE NIGHT in my dreams, but he didn’t even give me a stupid chocolate one.
This process was repeated over many years featuring a small cast of indifferent boys. And the disappointment sucked every time.
But then suddenly I had boyfriends and eventually a husband. And stupid old Valentine’s Day lost its very last smidgeon of power over me, because every year my honey and I would be safe in the knowledge that we loved each other at least 340 days of the year.
Yep. I was a smug-married. Or at least smugly coupled. Until this year…
This weekend I realised that this will be the first time in 17 years that I’ll be spending Valentine’s Day alone. And I’m not even going to pretend there wasn’t a small part of me feeling a speck of dread.
But then the lovely Sam and Dre (yes, THAT Sam and Dre!) told me about this movement/documentary/fantastic idea called Occupy Love that is screening at The Labia on Friday at 18:15.
No one can deny that the world we’re living in is falling into economical and ecological collapse. This is greatly because the power structures and the social values that support them are flawed. People are driven by greed and envy and anger and impatience and we’re all suffering for it.
So these folk decided to ask why? Why don’t we stop? Why don’t we focus on love? I know it sounds incredibly hippy-ish, but read this first before you judge…
From the director of Occupy Love:
“We will transcend the howling complaints of our ego, let go the petty jealousies, and breathe, deeply, before we act, remembering to love. Remembering to remember.
The time is now, not a moment too soon. We will laugh in the face of cynicism, and dare to be radically optimistic, against all odds, because nothing less will do.”
Now if that isn’t something spectacular to focus all this Valentine’s Day energy on, I don’t know what is!
So, this Friday, I’m going to focus on good citizenship and non-romantic love. Because this idea that coupledom trumps everything else is nonsense. I’d appreciate a few ideas on how to do this. Please?
Otherwise I might just end up eating pizza from a box and watching horror movies.
For more information about this so-crazy-it-might-just-work initiative go to Occupy Love. We’re also giving away tickets to the movie screening at the Labia for our Cape Town readers.
Do you think the way we act towards each other, towards the planet and towards humanity as a whole can make a difference? Or would you rather stick to the chocolate hearts and teddy bears?
Let us know and we can give you either a t-shirt or a movie ticket!
Love and non-romantic love.
