Love is something we cannot do without… Since the world began, it has been a driving force. How many types of love do you think there are? The ancient Greeks thought about this issue and distinguished 6 types of love, which are still valid today. See who they are.
Eros or sexual passion
The first kind of love is eros, named after the Greek god of fertility. The Greeks associated it with the idea of sexual passion and desire. But eros was also seen as a dangerous, fiery, and irrational form of love that could overwhelm and possess you-an attitude shared much later by spiritual thinkers such as the Christian writer S. Lewis.
Eros was also seen as a loss of control, which frightened the Greeks. Today we all want to fall madly, passionately in love, and such love makes us lose control over ourselves.
Affinity or deep friendship
The second variety of love was called philia or friendship, which the Greeks valued much more than the basic sexuality of eros. Philia referred to the deep friendship that developed between brothers who fought on the battlefield.
It proved loy alty to friends, the sacrifice you make for them, as well as the emotions you share.
We can all ask ourselves how much of this friendship slice we have in our lives. This is an important question. For example, how many of our friends on and off social networks do we have a crush on?
Ludus or playful love
This is the Greeks' idea of playful love, which refers to the affection of children or young lovers. We've all had a taste for flirting and "teasing" so to speak in the early stages of a relationship. But we also live in our ludus when we are with friends, laughing, dancing in a bar.
Dancing with strangers can be the ultimate ludic activity, an almost playful substitute for sex itself.
Agape or love for all
The fourth love, and perhaps the most radical, the Greeks called agape or selfless love. It is a love that reaches out to everyone, whether they are family members or not so close people.
S. Lewis calls this the "gift of love"-the highest form of Christian love. But it also appears in other religious traditions, such as the idea of metta or "universal loving kindness" in Theravada Buddhism.
How empathetic are we today and are we inclined to care and help acquaintances and strangers?
Pragma or Enduring Love
This is the mature love known as pragmatism. A deep understanding that developed between long-married couples.
Pragma is making compromises that help relationships develop over time and partners show patience and tolerance. In love with love, giving love, not just expecting to receive it. How much is it like that in today's love affairs and marriages?
Philautia or self-love
The sixth variety of love of the Greeks is philautia or self-love. But the Greeks even then distinguished two subtypes of this love.
One subtype is an unhe althy variety associated with narcissism, characterized by self-love and a focus on personal fame and fortune. The other kind of self-love is the he althier form in which we improve our capacity for love.
