Most Read!! The banality of sex on Valentine’s day (Increase in Teenage parent and others)
The prevailing wisdom in most media-saturated societies says; sex plus money equals the good life. This faulty equation is significantly changing the self-perception of many teenagers, their pursuit of happiness and envisioned future. If they are required to write on postage stamps their ultimate goals, different variants of this would appear: to outdo Cleopatra and make Croesus look poor. This aspiration is brazenly dramatised during Valentine's season.
Valentine's Day is increasingly taking on the defining character of a moral holiday. Raging passion largely shapes its observance. Dating violence reaches all-time high. In the spirit of the day, many teenagers will indulge in carefree sex. Some will get involved in romance-induced brawls. Others will use illicit drugs for the first time. This is worrisome. Even ardent laissez-faire elite who promote sexually liberal views would agree that the moral health of society is gravely endangered when sex, drug, alcohol and gambling become "teens' issues".
Valentine's Day has a peculiar moral tone, which in the name of love extols the do-whatsoever-you-like attitude and subjects reason to obsession. Also, it seemingly suspends conventional systems of thought and social conduct; thereby, making untested assumptions to set the ground rules of social activities. Hence, at the drop of a hat, many would engage in sexual activities in front of a camera. The "strong" in search of sluttish sex bullies the weak, exploits the vulnerable and commits outrageous obscenity. Society has a moral duty to save libido-driven teens from plunging into the vile world of violence.
President, Barack Obama, of the United States of America, when proclaiming February 2014 as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, noted that "Each year, 1 in 10 American teenagers suffers physical violence at the hands of a boyfriend or girlfriend." Since, we do not have reliable data, because we hardly report abuses, it is fair to say that many Nigerian teenagers face similar danger.
Dating violence causes many problems. It could predispose survivors to sex disorder, self-loathing, dependence on alcohol, illicit use of drugs and other antisocial habits. If not well managed, their academic performance and zest for life may decline. In fact, those molested today are likely to molest others tomorrow.
There are places where dating violence are likely to occur. Some examples are; secluded places and overly permissive moral context where pleasure trumps scruples. Whenever moral environments are conditioned in ways that allow people's mood to determine what is good, values become disposable, whims rule over principles and insanity becomes an evolving norm. Hormones will dictate rightness, particularly for adventure-seeking teens. "Seek pleasure, avoid pain" will gain the status of an article of faith. Unfortunately, those who follow the dictates of hormones eventually wallow in regret.
