It was an amazing weekend. I spent it with my loved one and enjoyed the fact that according to this holiday called Valentine's Day, I only had to work hard for 24 hours to convince this beautiful lady that I love her. Flowers, chocolates, diamonds, fancy dinners, and more. I spent a good day trying to figure out the ultimate combo that would allow me to be free for the remaining 364 days of the year. And did I succeed? Well, time will only tell. I know my bank account sure has lessened significantly due to this mission of mine.

But I failed, yet again. Significantly. The fact that I have fallen into yet another government scheme thought out by our gracious corporate world that is so nicely tied into this idea of “freedom of expression” is a joke. What's better yet, the government helped out this ideal “so called” holiday and made it a two day celebration, where now you don't have to think about going to work the following day, because of yet another amazing holiday called Family Day.

This Family Day helped me out greatly, or so I thought, because for my Valentine's Day I could plan a trip to Niagara Falls or some other exotic location, and not worry about being at work the following day, allowing me to spend more money on this already billion dollar industry and go wild with possibilities of making her happy and satisfied with my love and affection.

But I failed, yet again. Significantly. Do we even realize the connection? Have you been fooled as well?

Friends of mine that I have talked to have realized it, but unlike me, they like the two holidays because, they are single, and it's just another excuse to drink out of their minds so that all these problems that we suppress daily will hopefully go away because their focus will be on getting to that level of unconscious being, carelessness - where nothing else matters.

Then I sit back and realize. Our society has failed. Significantly.

This idea of being an individual, it's an illusion because of many things; however, the biggest of them all is the fact that our idea of being an individual is different from what, for example, the philosopher Ayn Rand argued or your professors or parents argued. It's different, because they wanted us to be individual in the community aspect, which today, sadly is a very rare occurrence.

Striving in this world to the glory and the idea or hope of getting to those millions that so many have already done, we have lost the reality of life. What it means to be a good friend, a good neighbour, a sibling, and even a good parent. Out of fear we have allowed the law to enter our homes and allow individuals without a clue of what the world brings, the power to report those who have brought them to this earth. We have given the government the right to do whatever they decide to do, because we have failed to find them accountable. We have failed to be true citizens of democracy, citizens that don't take this freedom for granted.

In closing, I ask of you one favour. Stop for a moment and think. Is it easier to control individuals, who out of spite, fear, jealousy, anger or for whatever other reason have decided to shut off the world from their existence OR is it easier to control individuals of community who share their thoughts and feelings, and fears and dreams with their neighbours, friends, parents, professors, and those they love?

Hopefully we agree on the answer.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.