What is the meaning of human existence? Maybe in the search for love? Only here is what to look for, the kinds of love, as it turns out, are not so few.
What kind of love?
We like the word "love" in a languid voice, covering our eyes. But after all, love is different, one romance, this concept is not limited. So, what kind of love is there?
A rather interesting classification is offered by the philosopher Erich Fromm in his work The Art of Love. Kinds of love in this book are called objects, and the feeling itself is seen as a way of knowing the mystery of man. So, what are the kinds of love from Fromm?
- Brotherly love is a feeling based on a feeling of oneness with other people. This is love between equals.
- Maternal (parental) love - manifested not only in the mother (father) to the child, this feeling is based on the desire to help a weaker, helpless creature.
- Love for yourself. Fromm considers it necessary to manifest love for another person. The philosopher believes that a person who does not love himself, is not capable of loving at all.
- Love for God is proclaimed the connecting thread of the human soul. Fromm considers it the basis of all kinds of love.
- Erotic love - the feelings of two adults to each other. Such love requires a complete merger, unity with your chosen one. The nature of this love is exceptional, so this feeling can coexist in harmony with other forms of love, and be an independent desire.
But Fromm does not confine himself to reasoning about these five kinds of love, he considers two more opposite forms of love - creative and destructive. The first strengthens the feeling of fullness of life, presupposes the manifestation of caring, interest, sincere response and can be directed to both the person and the subject or idea. The second one seeks to deprive the loved one of freedom; in fact, it is a destructive force. But this is not all, Fromm finds different forms of manifestation of love, distinguishing between mature and immature forms.
But no matter how many kinds of love exist, the philosopher considers only the one that is directed not on one person to be true. If you love only one person and be indifferent to all others, then this can be called a symbiosis, but not love.
The concept of love among the ancient Greeks
The question of what kind of love is, interested in humanity since ancient times, for example, in ancient Greece, there was a definition of the whole 5 kinds of love.
- Agape. This kind of love is sacrificial. This is charity, readiness for self-giving. In the Christian world, such feelings are considered a manifestation of love for one's neighbor. There is no place for attraction to the beloved, based on his external qualities.
- Eros. The Greeks called this word spontaneous, enthusiastic love. This feeling often takes the form of worship, because it is based primarily on devotion, and only then on sexual attraction.
- Storge. Often is the next step in the development of the previous form. Then friendship is added to tenderness. Although it may be the other way round - tenderness and admiration appear after many years of friendship.
- Filio. Such love is often called platonic, because of all kinds of love it was Filia who was raised by Plato on a pedestal. This feeling is based on spiritual attraction, we can say that it is love in its pure form. We feel it for our best friends, parents and children.
- Mania. This love was called "madness from the gods" by the Greeks and was considered a real punishment. Because such a love is an obsession, it makes the passionate man suffer, often it gets to the object of passion. This feeling is destructive, it orders to be always near the object of adoration, makes you feel crazy passion and jealousy.
What kind of love is hardest to say is difficult, it all depends on what is considered force. If we bear in mind the intensity of passions, then nothing can compare with Mania and Eros, but such feelings are short-lived. Other species do not create such a storm of emotions in our soul, but they are able to stay with us for a very long time, sometimes all their lives.