Brandon Berry Essay

Love is not just â€Å"I like him/her, marry each other, and then lives together. † The ancient Greeks broke down love into four types: I will attempt to distinguish the differences between these four types of love. The first type of love I am going to discuss is Eros, known as â€Å"earthly or sexual love† (2005). Eros is known as the â€Å"erotic† love, or romantic love. It is the love felt between two people that are â€Å"in love† with each other. The second kind of love is Philia, a â€Å"love of the specified thing† (2001). An easy way to remember this is to think of the word â€Å"Philadelphia†, which is known as the city of brotherly love. It is not sexual in nature. This type of love, however, can be lost due to time, distance, and something as simple as disagreement. It consists of loyalty to your friends, family, and community. Friendship is the basis of any successful relationship, whether it is marriage, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or a relationship with a co-worker. Because Philia love is mutual, it is separated from Eros. The third type of love is Storge love. This love â€Å"is demonstrated when people use expression describing something they enjoy doing or seeing† (2009). Examples of this type of love would be a love one has for work, reading, sleeping, ice cream, etc. Agape means â€Å"love† in modern day Greek. This is a â€Å"selfless love† (2009). â€Å"The Christian church identifies Christian love with agape, and includes charity, tolerance, and respect within the term. † (2009). Agape is the most spiritual type of love and is a sacrificial love in which nothing is returned. Love is an essential element to human life. â€Å"What is love? † Undoubtedly, this is a question that has been asked countless times, and answered in countless ways. I believe each person has their own individual idea about love and its nature; the power and pain, unconditional and true. References Eros. (2005). In The Macquarie Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com. library. capella. edu/entry/macqdict/eros Love. (2009). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com. library. capella. edu/entry/heliconhe/love Philia (2001). In Chambers 21st Century Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com. library. capella. edu/entry/chambdict/philia