LRTQ: Let's talk about Love...

Technorati tags: Quran, Reading, Love, Valentine's Day, Blog Campaign

Being that today is the official last day of the Let's Read The Quran (LRTQ) campaign, and the fact that it's Valentine's Day, Walski thought that it would be appropriate to talk a little bit about love.

And before he forgets, Happy Valentine's Day to one and all... not that it really means a whole heck of a lot to Walski personally. Why? Well, more about that later in the post.

There are, of course, many types of love: the platonic kind you have for friends, the love you have for family, the sort you have for the country... so on and so forth. Today, Walski will focus on the romantic kind. The L-O-V-E kind of love...

It may come as a surprise to many, but there actually is at least one verse in the Quran that talks about romantic love.

Valentine's Day, to Walski, is part of the crucial process of evaluation whether or not that certain someone is the one. After all, forever ever after is a pretty darn long time to be stuck with someone you aren't completely comfortable with... and Walski's pretty darn sure that God didn't put us on this Earth to be miserable.  
(love, Valentine's Day, and more,, in the full post)

Walski mentioned earlier that Valentine's Day (or "VD" for short) doesn't mean a whole heckuva lot to him. And in truth, just like most other mass-observance days, it's become way too commercialized. But having said that, Walski is not against anyone who puts some level of importance on the day and celebrates it.

Hey, if you wanna spend money on over-priced roses, red heart-shaped cushions, soft toys or whatever red that strikes your fancy, it's your damn money. No chaff off Walski's skin. Neither is he going to go on a mad tirade about how Valentine's Day is more dangerous than AIDS, Ebola, or Cholera...

Walski doesn't think he needs to add anything - the ludicrousness speaks loud and clear for itself. Mostly loud. And once again, we hear about exclusivity surrounding Islam - taking the idea of "resembling" to further lengths than logically necessary...

God made us different (see Surah 49, Verse 13) from one another - into different tribes, so to speak - not so that one tribe can be dominant over another or to be isolationist. Rather, it's so that we can learn how to appreciate diversity, and adopt the best from different cultures and practices. And not for the "tribes" to isolate themselves. This isolationist and exclusivist view is part of the reason why many Muslims are in the sorry state as they are in today, by and large.

But Walski digresses...

God made us, as He did the rest of his creation, in pairs. Yin & Yang, Male & Female... that sort of thing. Some cultures may believe that love can come after wedlock (i.e. arranged marriages), but many don't subscribe to such practices anymore. And in actuality the process of courting and falling in love can be a very fun and enjoyable one to go thru.

Walski mentioned earlier that VD doesn't mean a heck of a lot to him. Well, after 10 years of marriage, we don't wait for February 14th to express our love for each other. Every day, in fact, is Valentine's Day. That said, we do go out for a nice dinner on some years. Except that this year we chose not to, and instead opted to spend VD with close friends. Whom we love, too.

In Walski's opinion, celebrating VD is fine - it would be grossly unfair to assume that vice is the only thing on the minds of young lovers, or those who think they're in love. Let's not jump to bad conclusions about people all the time. But if there is going to be sex involved, eventually, make sure it's protected sex. For your own safety (it's not called "protected" for nothing).

Because in the real reality of what we call real life, AIDS is far, far more dangerous than Valentine's Day - no matter what one very uptight Egyptian cleric may want us to believe.

Happy Valentine's Day, people... whatever it may mean to you.