Love Me, My beloved, But How? Let Me Tell You Of The Four Ways.
Care for me, adore me; each and every atom of my being. Allow it to saturate my soul and captivate me. I will do the same for you. Isn’t that the dream? But did you know that love is bigger than words can express? And there are four types of love: eros (passion); philia (close friendship); storge (family connection); and agape (unconditional love for all).
EROS
Eros is the impulse of passion which may be desire for the physical, or even the pursuit of something more abstract—my longing for knowledge, or my zest for travel. We learn that eros is ephemeral, yet powerful; that it can be both welcome and unwelcome in its context.
PHILLA
Philla is a strong connection between two people who care for each other’s well-being; it’s the marriage between two partners. It also applies to the solidarity we share as Super Women here at Women World. When we’re together, we can overcome any challenge with resilience and assurance, since we understand that our bond is impenetrable. We look out for and take care of one another, knowing that our relationship is unbreakable.
STORGE
Storge is that bond with a surrogate family—an adoptive family, a mentor, or even an employer or teacher—with whom one has a strong connection that goes beyond the biological. We could feel the bond from the countless shared experiences we’d gone through and from the effort we’d both put into growing together.
AGAPE
Agape is an all-encompassing love, a selfless devotion to the good of all humankind; an embodiment of compassion and kindness. It’s the relentless power that drives us to dedicate our time and resources to the advancement of our fellow women and the whole community. We strive each day to sow the seeds of benevolence and compassion, unwavering in our goal to create an atmosphere of harmony and acceptance.
These four types of love come together snugly, interlocking like a jigsaw puzzle. They are not meant to be ranked, or put in hierarchy. In fact, each one is just as valuable and essential. They coalesce to create a context for us–a purpose.
Dare to love on this Valentines’s Day in however way you desire.
Join our community to get and share LOVE.
Alice Hlidkova is a copywriter and blog curator at Women World.