Valentine’s Day is coming up. And while it is traditionally thought of as a romantic holiday, we say it is simply a day about love. And that doesn’t necessarily mean romantic love.
This Valentine’s Day let’s celebrate the many different types of love.
When we think about love, two types typically come to mind – romantic love and the love you hold for your family. But the Ancient Greek’s actually had 6 different words for love, and we think Valentine’s provides us with the perfect opportunity to revisit them.
Eros, or passionate love, and Pragma, long-standing love, are the typical “loves” we think of today. What we want to do is take a closer look at the remaining 4.
- Philia – Deep Friendship. This type of love highlights the camaraderie and strong bonds formed between individuals outside of family ties. It highlights loyalty, caring, sharing and even sacrifice. It is great to have a lot of friends, but these relationships run deeper; they are your honorary brothers and sisters.
- Ludus – Playful Love. Ludus can refer to the affection children have for one another, or even the love we feel sitting around with a group of friends, talking and laughing. This love is light, social, innocent, and as mentioned, playful.
- Agape – Love for Everyone. This love extends beyond your social circles and encompasses kindness and caring for complete strangers. In fact, the Latin’s later translated Agape into caritas, which is the origin of “charity”.
- Philautia – Love of Self. Not to be confused with narcissism or being self-focused, Philautia is about having a healthy frame of mind, liking and embracing yourself for who you are. In doing so, you will be better able to except others, and spread more love.
This Valentine’s Day, whether you are married, in a long-standing or new relationship, widowed or divorced, let’s look beyond romantic love and celebrate the love we have for our dearest friends, our extended social circles and communities, for strangers, and ourselves.
Be kind, be generous, and spread a little love wherever you can.
By Christine Tompa
Amintro is the social app exclusively for those 50 plus. It was created to expand social circles, encourage seniors to get out and meet new people in their community, and facilitate good old-fashioned, platonic relationships. We believe in the power of friendship, and the health and wellness benefits that stem from an active social life.
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