Sometimes, seeing too many sickeningly sweet Valentine’s Day greetings and overtly romantic messages can make you question things. Are these authentic? Are people being true to their feelings? Why is everyone so happy all of a sudden?

The School of Life offers a different, dark take. An honest greeting to a partner wouldn’t simply begin with everlasting promises and too much praise.

According to the video, most of us actually mistake our loved ones for someone else in our heads. We start realising we were wrong and try to change them, blaming them for not living up to our expectations.

Advertisement

We even try to claim our partners and resent them for trapping us in these positions. People and popular culture don’t always encourage us to imagine the bittersweet realities that accompany committed relationships.

The video goes on to explain that some day, we’ll even think of someone else when we make love with our partners, expecting them to get it without having it spelt out for them.

There will be ups and downs, we will share our joys and give each other credit, but we we will not leave our sorrows behind, either. One of the most striking messages in the video: “I will use you to pretend we’re not all fundamentally alone.”

We’ll blame each other for having ruined our lives but we’ll still ask when it’s time. “Please be my Valentine.”