A World Without Love: How Would We Survive?

Love is in the air! No, really, it is. Love fills our lives with happiness and warmth on Valentine’s Day and every day.

But what would happen if love disappeared? What if we lived in a world without love?

This month marks the 58th anniversary of the release of Peter and Gordon’s single ‘World Without Love’ in February 1964.

The song explores what life would be like without that powerful emotion.

So, where would we be without it?

We’d be deprived of romantic love, as well as parental, sibling, friend, pet, and community love, to name just a few.

Love-pathy is all too common

Love is all around us, but it appears much of the world’s population has been infected by a kind of “love-pathy”.

Too many times I’ve heard people say: “I don’t do Valentine’s Day.”

Are these people being honest with themselves?

Perhaps it’s really that they don’t do the over-commercialisation of Valentine’s Day. Fair enough.

Or, either they can’t afford to buy gifts, flowers or chocolates, or don’t want to?

Or, perhaps they don’t want to show more affection for one person than another?

Whatever their reasons, if they want to, there’s always a way to show affection without it costing a mint: sing a song, recite a poem or do something nice for your special someone.

But to deny the celebration of love is to deny the celebration of life itself.

Life is love. It’s all around us and Valentine’s Day is a special time to celebrate love.

There are so many different types of relationships in this world, from the most emotional and intimate bonds between two people to wider families or communities with their own unique traditions around celebrating romance.

Valentine’s Day truly embodies what we should be doing every day: living life fully.

How did Valentine’s Day begin?

The traditions of St Valentine’s Day are old and rich, dating back to AD 496 when Pope Gelasius I established it to honour the martyred Roman saint who died on February 14 back around 250 AD.

The romantic notion eventually became associated with Valentine’s Day in the 14^th and 15^th centuries due mostly because people began pairing up as “lovebirds” do in springtime.

When England became a more formal society in the 1700s, people began the tradition of expressing their feelings for each other by giving flowers and sending greeting cards.

These gifts and cards were, and still are, known as valentines.

Valentine’s Day symbols

Symbols representing Valentine’s Day have been around for centuries.

The heart-shaped outline was used in ancient Rome to symbolise love, while doves are considered a sign of peace because they’re known as “the bird of happiness”.

You might even see an image labelled “Cupid” on some valentines; this figure is traditionally winged and often holding his bow (to represent affection) or arrow (for accuracy).

In Italy, people give valentine keys to romantic lovers as an invitation to unlock their hearts, according to legend.

Keys are also used in Italy for children who have epilepsy – Saint Valentine himself is said to have created this tradition so the children could be protected from the condition’s evil effects.

Open hearts to Valentine’s Day

Today, we need more people to be aware of the powerful emotion and to open their hearts and minds to it.

The feeling of love is so powerful that it can make our lives worth living.

We need this to stay happy and healthy, not just for ourselves but also those around us who depend on how we act in order to provide them with stability too.

This Valentine’s Day, I ask you: how can we live in a world without love?

Let’s all feel the warmth and make sure that doesn’t happen.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Love is definitely all around us.

Whether you’re celebrating with your partner, your friends, or by yourself, enjoy the day.

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