Love is a language; do you speak it? (part 1)
Love is a language you have heard but may never have been told. Love is soft but firm, quiet but loud. Love nurtures, love grows, love makes and love can break. Love is worth finding and love is worth keeping. What makes love so special is that it can be expressed and experienced in different ways.
Ancient Greeks believed that there were eight types of love: Agape — unconditional love; Eros — romantic love; Philia — affectionate love; Philautia — self-love; Storge — familial love; Pragma — enduring love; Ludus — playful love; and Mania — obsessive love.
What kind of love are you most familiar with?
In my thirty years in this beautiful world, I can say I have experienced all the types of love, in bits and pieces. In this piece, I will share the types of love that are familiar to me.
First is Agape love; an unconditional kind of love. I believe it is the love of God. The love we feel for God and the love God shows us. Christians believe it is the love Jesus Christ showed all humans.
For me, the best definition of love is in the Bible — “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1Corinthians 13:1.
The question is, do human beings explore this definition of love through and through?
Another familiar love for me is Eros. Everyone loves this kind of love. This is mainly associated with physical and romantic love. This kind of love is sweeter when it is Halal (accepted by God). It is also the kind of love that can burn so fast and can also hurt so deep. Eros can be best described as the kind of love between a couple which then leads to copulation. I strongly believe that to enjoy this kind of love forever, one has to build a strong foundation of friendship.
The sweetest kind of love for me is what the Greeks described as Storge or familial love. This is the love I have for my children. It is like all the types of love in one. The love between a parent and a child. Familial love is very natural and special. As a mother, it is the type of love you feel once you hear that you are carrying a child. Through all the discomforts associated with pregnancy and childbirth, the love just grows deeper and increases each day. I also see this kind of love expressed between siblings.
Love is deep and sweet and everyone deserves to experience it one way or the other. Even if the above does not resonate with you, why not focus on self-love. To love another, one must first love one’s self. By loving one’s self, it becomes easier to love another. Embrace yourself and embrace your flaws; do things right, do things that make you happy.
Above all, give love and receive love; it makes the world a better place and makes you a better person.
