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#Post#: 3561--------------------------------------------------
What does 'Love' mean?
By: Oneoff Date: January 5, 2016, 12:31 am
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Kerry’s frequent emphasis on what he calls “the Golden Rule”
brings to mind the inadequacy of the English language to
encompass all that love involves. The ancient Greeks, by
comparison, had the following 6/7 different works to clarify the
vast range of 'love'.
Eros, or sexual passion was viewed as a dangerous, fiery, and
irrational form of love that could take hold of you and possess
you. Eros involved a loss of control that frightened the Greeks.
Which is odd, because losing control is precisely what many
people now seek in a relationship. Don't we all hope to fall
"madly" in love?
Philia, was used to describe the deep comradely friendship that
developed between brothers in arms who had fought side by side
on the battlefield. It was about showing loyalty to your
friends, sacrificing for them, as well as sharing your emotions
with them. (Another kind of philia, sometimes called storge,
embodied the love between parents and their children.)
Ludus, was the Greeks' idea of playful love, which referred to
the affection between children or young lovers. We also live out
our ludus when we are bantering and laughing with friends.
Agape, was the selfless love that we extend to all people,
whether family members, mere acquaintances, or even distant
strangers. C.S. Lewis referred to it as "gift love," the
highest form of Christian love. But it also appears in other
religious traditions, such as the idea of mettā or
"universal loving kindness" in Theravāda Buddhism.
Pragma, was the longstanding and mature love such as that which
developed between long-married couples. Pragma was about making
compromises and showing patience and tolerance.
Philautia, was the love of the self of which the Greeks
recognised two types. One was an unhealthy variety associated
with narcissism, where you became self-obsessed and focused on
personal fame and fortune. Whereas the healthier version
concerned our wider capacity to love.
By having only one word to describe ‘Love’, our English language
does not even differentiate between love as a feeling and love
as an action. We talk about loving our enemies, but to think of
that in terms of our feelings is nonsense since they wouldn’t be
our enemies if our feelings towards them were loving. The only
way one can possibly love an enemy is by ensuring that it is our
actions towards him that are loving.
In terms of feelings if you like yourself and feel secure in
yourself, you will have plenty of love to give others (as is
reflected in the Buddhist-inspired concept of
"self-compassion"). Or, as Aristotle put it, "All friendly
feelings for others are an extension of a man's feelings for
himself."
#Post#: 3567--------------------------------------------------
Re: What does 'Love' mean?
By: Piper Date: January 5, 2016, 3:05 am
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[font=trebuchet ms]Interesting post. I had only heard of eros,
philos, and agape.
[/font]
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