BY EMILY NESS | the Statesman Holding elegant bouquets of flowers and generous boxes of chocolate, shoppers crowd the greeting card aisles, looking for a card with the perfect message for their loved one. February is the month of romance with Valentine’s Day taking center stage.
In stark contrast to romance, there are cases of tragic violence.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, on average 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. That is more than 12 million women and men over the course of a year.
In light of this, it is important to determine the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
On February 10, 2016, the University of Minnesota Duluth did exactly that at an event called “What is Love?” held in Kirby Plaza.
The purpose of the event was to educate students on types of domestic violence, consisting of physical violence, sexual violence and stalking. Activities at the event included defining different types of love, brainstorming words to describe healthy and unhealthy relationships and educating students on what steps to take if they find themselves or a loved one in an unhealthy relationship.
In the process students were educated on the different forms of love. These forms consisted of: infatuated love, empty love, romantic love, companionate love, fatuous love and consummate love. Each form consisted of passion, intimacy and/or commitment, however, only consummate love consisted of all three, making it the ideal form.
During these activities students were able to reflect on their own relationships, proving to be a very moving experience.
In order to uphold the privacy of Planned Parenthood, as well as those who attended the event, no one was able to comment.
Overall, the event proved to be a success.
Perhaps this year’s Valentine’s message could be one of loving yourself enough to know when enough is enough.