The slew of reasons why Valentine’s Day is a nauseating holiday is as endless as the line of the self-pitying masses moaning that they are alone. Aside from these sorry singletons wasting everyone’s time is the fact that candy hearts are the absolute most terrible candy to ever be created, far inferior to the candy corns of Halloween and Easter peeps. Not to mention that Cupid is the mythological equivalent of a frat boy with some roofies and an air that’s more creepy than cute. Plus, the government’s federal calendar dictating to us when to appreciate our loved ones is an undeniable nod to totalitarianism. What I find most infuriating about this holiday, though, is the Valentine’s Day cards. Regrettably, it is commonplace in today’s commercialized world that mass produced notes replace handwritten ones. Are people really so uncreative and disconnected that they must rely on the words of others to profess their own supposed inner most passions? It’s sad to think that society either does not care enough or is too busy to formulate something special and personal to read instead. What these cards are really saying is that our generation is on the path to losing the capability of independent thought. This notion of a lazy and mentally comatose culture is far from heartwarming. This criticism can be equally applied to our schoolwork as college students, as well. So much of our education is spent on studying the brilliant discoveries and great ideas of thinkers past. Every book we read was written by someone else and every problem we solve has most likely already been completed. I’m not saying that there is no merit to learning such things, and I certainly appreciate them. What I am saying, though, is that more effort needs to be put forth into coming up with ideas and thoughts and creations of our own. Otherwise, we will all become completely reliant on things dictated by other people, such as with the Valentine card situation. For the love of humanity, we need to start thinking for ourselves!