ARI op-ed columnist Gary Hull has written an editorial exploring the nature of love from an Objectivist viewpoint. From his column:
The nature of love places certain demands on those who wish to enjoy it. You must regard yourself as worthy of being loved. Those who expect to be loved, not because they offer some positive value, but because they don’t ? i.e., those who demand love as altruistic duty ? are parasites. Someone who says “Love me just because I need it” seeks an unearned spiritual value ? in the same way that a thief seeks unearned wealth. To quote a famous line from The Fountainhead: “To say ‘I love you,’ one must know first how to say the ‘I.'”
Valentine’s Day ? with its colorful cards, mouth-watering chocolates and silky lingerie ? gives material form to this spiritual value. It is a moment for you to pause, to ignore the trivialities of life ? and to celebrate the selfish pleasure of being worthy of someone’s love and of having found someone worthy of yours.
Happy Valentine’s Day!