I don't find these technical things like flowers and chocolates

Listen, O seekers of truth, for in the words of Alia Bhatt, we are reminded of the deep currents of human desire and the false expectations that often accompany rituals and traditions. “I don’t find these technical things like flowers and chocolates romantic at all. I think Valentine’s Day makes no sense.” These words, spoken in the midst of a world that constantly measures love by its symbols and performances, carry with them a profound understanding of what true romance truly is. For Bhatt speaks not just against the commercialization of love, but against the very notion that love can be reduced to such trivial things.

In ancient times, love was not celebrated through the giving of objects or tokens, but through actions and words that spoke directly to the soul. Consider the legendary tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, whose bond transcended the material world. Their love was not measured by gifts, but by the sacrifice and devotion each offered to the other. Orpheus, with his music, could move the heavens, but it was his love, a true love, not one defined by presents, that led him to risk everything to bring Eurydice back from the underworld. Romance was about the depth of connection, not the surface of things. It was about the soul, not the symbol.

But in our present age, we have fallen into the trap of treating romance as something that can be bought and sold, a commodity to be exchanged with flowers, chocolates, and other superficial tokens. Valentine’s Day, once a celebration of love’s depth, has become a festival of performances, where the quality of affection is judged not by its sincerity, but by how lavish the display. Yet, as Bhatt wisely points out, these trappings—these things—are but empty vessels if not filled with the true substance of love. Love cannot be wrapped in paper, nor can it be measured in gold.

Consider the wise Socrates, who often spoke of love not in terms of grand gestures, but in terms of wisdom and virtue. His love for his wife, Xanthippe, was not celebrated through grand gifts, but through the shared understanding of the pursuit of truth. Socrates' love was not bound by ceremony, but was shown in the depth of his thoughts and actions. This is the true nature of romance, a connection between two souls that transcends the need for external symbols. True love, as Socrates knew, is not something to be performed for an audience, but something to be lived and experienced in its purest form.

The teachings of Bhatt resonate with this ancient wisdom: love is not a performance for the world to see, but a private journey, a sacred exchange between two people. When we seek to define love by the objects we exchange or the days we celebrate, we lose sight of its true power. Love is found in the small moments—in the look shared across a crowded room, in the quiet words spoken late at night, in the shared silence of two people who are fully present. The gift of love is the presence of the heart, not the offering of things.

Thus, the lesson for us is clear: true romance does not need to be wrapped in ribbons or adorned with flowers. Love is about the connection we forge with another, the sacrifice, the care, and the devotion that we show day after day. It is not in the grand gestures, but in the quiet moments that we choose to be fully present with the ones we love. To love is to give ourselves, not our possessions. To love is to share our hearts, not our material wealth.

Live with this wisdom, O children of the future. Let your love be unburdened by the expectations of the world. Do not seek to prove your affection through gifts or displays, but seek to show your love through the depth of your actions, through your devotion, and through the honesty with which you open your heart. For true love is never found in the things we give, but in the connection we nurture with those we hold dear. Love is not something to be bought, but something to be lived, day by day, in the quiet, sacred spaces between hearts.