PHILOS, EROS, & AGAPE
The ancient greeks had three words for love...
Philos, Eros and Agape...
Philos is friendship. The kind of love and affection we feel for our friends and family. In fact, the name of Philadelphia literally means the "City of Brotherly Love". Philos is what in Spanish we call "querer". I would say that I'm fortunate enough to have a lot of philos in my life. I'm surrounded by good friends... I almost never have to have lunch by myself... I can always find someone to have a beer with... If I need a favor, no matter how big, someone will always come through for me... On my birthday, some people will remember me and call me, or send me a card, or even a gift, or take me out for lunch... If I need to tell my troubles to anyone, I can call three or four people who will always be willing to give me some valuable time... I'm grateful for the ammount of philos I have in my life... faces and names of friends come and go, but the feeling remains.
In Greek mythology, Eros was the God of Love. Eros love is the passion and desire between two people... the sexual love... This is what in Spanish, we call "desear" although sometimes people also use "amar"... I have very little of Eros in my life anymore... and that makes me bitter.
Agape is the Total Love... Philos + Eros... The kind of love that makes us sing and dance in the middle of the street... Here we feel our selves to be stronger with a feeling of serenity that is based on the certainty that nothing can shake us. Unusual strength allows us always to make the right decision at the right time, and when we achieve our goal, we are amazed at our own capabilities... This is what in Spanish we call "amar"... I have only experienced agape with 2 people in my life... and with both... just the memory remains... Any human being can not live without Agape and, therefore, I'm slowly dying inside...
