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Editor's note:
As Valentine’s Day approaches, stores overflowing with cards, chocolates and expensive gifts serve as a reminder of its relentless commercialization. Images of the mythical Roman god Cupid, with his bow and arrow, are often used to convey that love can happen in an instant.
When the holiday first originated in 14th-century Europe, it wasn’t solely about romantic love − it celebrated the freedom to choose or reject love and marked the arrival of spring.
This Valentine’s Day, Jeremy David Engels, a mindfulness scholar at Penn State, encourages people to explore different ways of experiencing love. Loving-kindness, or “metta” – a form of love practiced by many Buddhists worldwide – expects nothing in return.
“If you’re feeling disconnected from others, ill at ease, or disenchanted with a holiday overrun by capitalism, you might consider trying loving-kindness meditation,” Engels writes.
Religion News
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Commentary and Analysis
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The Bible describes the two men meeting and sharing an instant connection. By Jacob F. Love for The Conversation
Shiite female pilgrims pray at the golden twin-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhimduring during their annual pilgrimage in the northwestern Baghdad district of al-Kadhimiyah, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photto/Anmar Khalil)
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