Warning! For those living under a rock or who have their heads buried in the proverbial sand, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Only two shopping days left!
And Americans do know how to shop. This past year we spent around $12 billion on Halloween. That number is expected to double for Valentine’s Day to nearly $25 billion!
There is little chance of convincing Americans that love can be demonstrated in better ways than spending money on one day a year. Still, $25 billion can do a lot of things in the US.
Like hiring 50,000 new teachers for 10 years. Or, for the practical minded, repairing 50,000 miles of roads. Building nearly 300,000 homes for the homeless. Increasing the money spent on veterans by one third. Feeding 3.4 million people, 3 meals a day, for a year.
Or, as the present US plan seems to be, building longer, taller, walls around the United States. You know, on second thought. We just need to go ahead and buy the candy and roses.
In the Hebrew language and culture. Love is always more than a feeling. It is an action. The Hebrews would not so much say love or feel love, they did love. That is pretty old fashioned but it might be worth a try. Those actions usually involve the things that money cannot buy.
--Mark Ross
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