Did you know that the Ancient Greeks had SIX words to describe the different expressions of love. Yes, Eros is one of their words! As a lover of language, I have been frustrated by how much we use this word like a great big lump! Love is so much more nuanced than a single word! I was sure that if the Ancient Egyptians had 50 words for sand and the Eskimos that 100 words for snow that some culture had to be smart enough to come up with nuanced language for love. The answer is YES. Think about all the ways we love in completely differently ways with so many diverse relationships and people. By having six different words to speak about love, it encourages us to acknowledge, nurture, and honor all the kinds of love that is available to us. Love is not just romantic love (Eros) but there is the love of friends called Philia or the love of dancing or playing called Ludus. There is the love of long standing relationships called Pragma where we can actually stand for love such as the love that can be found in a long term partnership or marriage. Or the love for our children, or long term friendships. The ancient Greeks acknowledged self love with the word Philautia, which talked about self love in a way that was far beyond narcissism. And there is Agapae love. The love of humanity. No one can offer us all of these loves. And there is so much love in this world that is available to us, even when we are not in EROS. We do not need to have a physical romantic lover to have love. We are surrounded with it. I love that I have found six words to talk about the different ways of experiencing love in my life. I wanted to share it with you. In Agapae Love, Pamela Madsen PS. More coming on this soon!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:37:25 +0000
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