Love is the underlying force of the entire universe. Not a claim, but an eternal truth. Love as a concept goes beyond the transitory nature of words and meaning and I dare say that it is within human nature to quest for such an elusive concept. From age to age, a plethora of poets and artists seek asylum in deep contemplation of Love, even onto death the search goes on. If I may be so bold to assert that Love is the very reason we exist. Human love, to say the least, is the creative force, and with this a feeling ensues. This can be noted as the feeling of Love.
To experience this feeling of Love can be considered a blessing or a curse depending on one's perception of life and phenomena. Many philosophers drink from the cup of Love in hopes to quench the undying thirst for the meaning within the infinite cosmos.
When ruminating on Love, one must grasp the word to define not just a strong affection or deep feeling for another. Embodiment of Love's essence is quintessential to actualizing the real Love. That means it is perhaps only through action may one realize Love and all it's poetic glory!
Love each other.
This is my moral code. A flawless command, in my opinion. The statement is so simple, yet immeasurably profound. The task is not easy by any means and even grasping the definition becomes a lifelong mission. Clive Staples Lewis, a contemplative and author, delved deep into the essence of Love in his book The Four Loves . He defines it through the exploration of language used by Ancient Greece- éros, philía, storgē, and agápe.
This inspired me to also take a closer look at each construction.
Èros is the type of Love we are all familiar with in today's modern world. The 'Hollywood' version of Love, one filled with erotic passion. Simply put, éros is the sexual and erotic form of Love. It has everything to do with our bodies and the fulfillment of our sensual desires. From it, the vice of lust is birthed. We can be assured this is not the entire embodiment of love for èros exists momentarily just as sex temporally results in a climax.
Philía is the familiar affection otherwise known as 'brotherly love'. This Grecian type of love is the source of amity, and can be seen as stem of friendship. With this type of love, strong bonds of good will and well to do are made between two individuals. I would also expect this type of love to be the source of trust, and it's the kinship universally found. Without philía,
the affinity for fondness and mutual appreciation would not be available. Its deeply rooted in our human consciousness. Aristotle states that the highest form of philía is found in direct relation of the feeling oneself. Seeing oneself in "another oneself" is the objective of this type of love. Without being too concrete with its description, anything related to friendship can be pointed out to philía.
Without having to reiterate or regurgitate, plainly put storgē is a familial love. The love inherently gained through kin, as close ties leads to familiarized affection
Now, in my opinion, the most vertical of the types of love attained within the human condition, agápe is the type of love most fulfilling. This type refers to the divine aspects of the human soul- love for the sake of love. It transcends the mortal flesh. Simply, agápe is of a spiritual nature, charity it's other name. This love is untainted from earthly desires, and seeks to share itself for the uplift of all hearts. I would dare say this is where ego less altruism spawns. A state of grace.
What does the verb actually mean?
Love is a decision.
To be continued...