I could tell you about how wonderful my boyfriend is,how we spent our last anniversary, and all the gifts I've accumulated along thegold-paved road of our relationship. But then the veracity of these statementswould have to be questioned, and I would have to divulge reluctantly that it wasall a story devised by my overactive imagination.

Have you ever been inlove? Whenever a question is posed about the four-letter word that generatesbillions of dollars during this month, the question is as shallow, superficialand trite as Valentine's Day itself. It irritates me to think that dozens of teenmagazines, books and surveys strive to engender this image that love is a greatthing and should be looked for on every street corner. They create a misleadingimpression that life sans a beau is tedious and uncool.

In fact, love canbe dismal, especially if there isn't exactly a significant other to ponder. Sure,I would like to have a companion to walk to class with, or a guaranteed date tothe prom, but it isn't exactly as picturesque as imagined. The hearts get boring,the candy gets stale and the juicy letters wrinkle and dry - evaporating allthought and feeling they once encompassed.

Then, there's the reputation.Couples are often the hot subject of the vast rumor mill. If you want to be thetalk of the town, step right up and select your guy. Furthermore, couples areoften found being physically, and almost always overtly, affectionate.

Rummaging through the dirty looks of the public is just the beginning -thousands of books and articles have spewed forth about the dreadfulmeeting-the-parents scenario. In effect, love is not something between twopeople, but rather it involves the consent of authority and the ability to endurethe public's wrath.

I am not a bitter cynic attempting to eradicate one oflife's most beautiful qualities due to some past ravaged relationship. Yet, beingpragmatic is also an important component. The majority of high-school studentswho end up in relationships don't continue them during their post-secondaryschool lives.

In fact, a mere teenager cannot assume to possess thewisdom and maturity necessary for what that seemingly innocuous word entails.Teenagers are indubitably capricious - someone who is the greatest object ofaffection one day may become an irritating enemy the next. In the end, almostinevitably, feelings are crushed and relationships end.

We should bepreparing for the future and thinking of ways to study for our next history examinstead of focusing on romantic pursuits. Love will unequivocally lead to failureif it is possessed at such a precarious time. I do not advocate love - at leastnot yet.