"Without love, we lose the will to live." - Smiley Blanton
Most of us will agree that being in love is one of the best feelings in the world. When you're in love ypu might even feel like you're on cloud nine.
"What is Love?"
When asked about this question I often hear people's answer as 'Love is blind', other say that 'it is a strong affection of a person towards another person' and Merriam-Webster dictionary defined it as 'a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person'.
While we only have one word to describe about this wonderful feeling, the ancient Greek, in their search for wisdom has four words for love - Agape, Storge, Eros and Philia. Each of these forms of love has a great impact in a person's happiness.
AGAPE. Love that is guided by principles. This is the highest form of love. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, the bible described love as "patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." There are good and bad principles, so for us to be happier in life we must be guided by good principles.
STORGE. Love within family. Storge is the Greek word that refers to the natural love or affection that flows between close relatives and family members. It does not include any physical attraction. It is the facet of love that ties parents to their children and vice versa.
PHILIA. The love among friends. Life without friends is indeed dull and boring. Real friends bringscolors to our life. The Greek word for friendship is philia. It does not include any sexual feeling or attraction, instead it is the form of love that demonstrates loyalty and camaraderie among friends. If combined with agape, it will help us enjoy a lasting friendship.
EROS. Romantic love. This is probably the most known form of love which is the feeling of attraction towards the opposite sex. This form of love is named after Eros - the Greek god of love and fertility. Eros is the beautiful idealistic love that is usually between a man and woman.
Truly, the ancient Greeks gives us in-depth understanding of the word love.
But whatever form of love it is that feel, isn't it great to show love at all times?
I hope you like this article ❤️
Love comes from within. Love yourself and you give that love with others. You cannot give love if you don't have love to start with. Great article. Thank you for sharing.