Just as it’s akin with the ordinary Ghanaian to worship diligently on Sabbath days and become converts of the devil afterwards, so do we experience on the commemoration of the feast of Saint Valentine.

Giving a more pedantic interrogation of the activities during valentine, one would be more comfortable christening it as ‘vilentine’. It wouldn`t be any doubt, that saint valentine would be the most vilified in heaven.

Despite the good acts that were carried out by this saint, the inverse is the case when 14th February is with us. No wonder the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The essence of the event has soon fizzled out only leaving a pale shadow of it. Marketers of this event are only controlling and coordinating an orderly flow of sin, since the only programs, events and products they put forward are only nothing but instruments of immorality.

This day is meant to offer gifts to loved ones (under privileged) panning urn from Egypt, diamond from South Africa, shoes from Italy and perfumes from France. This is done without expecting any gift in return. But this can’t be said to be the case in our contemporary era, there exist a litany of activities which are only an affront to the moral fiber of our society. Giving gifts to people of the opposite sex have only become symptomatic of the axiom of ‘fawo to b3ge’ literally meaning use the dignity of your womanhood in exchange of the gift.

One would be more comfortable describing it as the feast of a beast than of a Saint. Truth be told this period is one characterized by the zenith of sexual promiscuity. I really appreciate the consequences that come after this celebration. We often wake-up to news of shortage of contraceptives especially condoms; this clearly comes with the attendant repercussions of spread of STD’s and unwanted pregnancies. 

Never have senior high school students been so addicted and in tune with the celebration of this event than any other activity. What can be seen in our schools in the run-up to this celebration is a marked display of gifts which would be sent to their loved ones. This takes away the seriousness that would otherwise be attached to other academic activities. Life would never be a bed of roses; the strife to succeed ought to be the cardinal vanguard of our dear students.

I must state upfront that it has also been valuable for some modicum of economic development. This arises by dint of the advertisements being made especially declaring a day of ‘chocolate’. Their spills over effects are also good for our advancement in many fields in terms of product marketing and returns.

The tide of progress would fast elude us if we as a people throw our morality to the dogs and leave the trivialities aside. This piece is meant for advocacy to straighten our bends and build a better society. Together let’s build a better society on the bedrock of sound moral principles and love of God and country.