Introduction
Love is perceived as the most beautiful experience globally, and whoever finds it has the prerequisite for happiness. Notably, many religious beliefs have set love as the premise of most of their doctrines. Philosophers of ancient times expressed love as an antidote for most social problems. However, the mention of the word love leaves minds focused on the relationship between men and women who come together courtesy of sexual attraction or desires. Despite being associated with most incidences of happiness and pleasure, love is also described as selfish and possessive, which can jeopardize a person’s quality of life. Love is an idea whose manifestation can significantly impact a person’s life. Numerous questions linger in many when it comes to the concept of love because of the multiple facets it represents. Love can only be appreciated when a person understands the different types of love and their corresponding characteristics before exploring any of the categories of love.
The information available about love
The concept of love is manifested primarily in couples, and the magnitude of love is expressed by the lover’s sacrifices for each other. Shakespeare writing about Romeo and Juliet is an expression of the power of love. When a couple is deeply in love, their lives depend on the love. For instance, when Romeo thought Juliet was dead, he drank poison. However, Juliet was not dead and would get up moments later. She later woke up from “death” only to find that her man was no more, and she also killed herself using a sword (Shakespeare 350). Love can bring the highest levels of joy or the saddest moment in a person’s life. Monogamous relationships are clear manifestations of true love. Some animals, such as owls, wolves, and horses, have monogamous relationships to express their affection for one another (Marsh and Michael 63). Due to the highest number of conflicts related to love, it is paramount to learn more about the different types of love and how each can be maintained or utilized. Investigating the characteristics of the various facets of love is critical in identifying the causes of conflicts and steps to mitigate them.
Different types of love
Holm-Hadulla et al. (2021) study revealed four different types of love with distinct characteristics. Agape love is the purest form of unconditional love, and Christians believe that the love of God towards humankind is agape. This kind of love has no conditions guiding it, and God loves the people whether they deserve the love or not. The significant feature of agape love is that it is sacrificial, unconditional, unrestricted, and everlasting, and humankind can access it. Storge love is the parent’s love towards their children and is the second in the love ranks. However, parental love is more substantial than the other types of love but less than unconditional love agape. Storge’s love is nurtured by respect and responsibility (Holm-Hadulla et al. 745). A parent must take care of his child while the child must respect and be submissive to their parents for love to flourish.
Erotic love is the third type of love expressed in movies, books, and billboards. Love involves two people who are sexually attracted to one another and have mutual feelings for each other. It is the primary reason people wed and started life as a married couple. Erotic love is the pillar of most weddings. Still, one characteristic of erotic love is that it is highly conditional and failure to adhere to the condition leads to conflicts and divorce in the discourse. The couple must understand each other’s feelings and strive to make them happy. Being in love is an implied contract for caring for others and being honest with them. It is easier to maintain erotic love if the lovers understand each other and adapt to fit into each other’s personalities. Philia love is the love among equals such as siblings and friends, which is highly built on the principle of reciprocity. Siblings care for each other in times of happiness and sorrow by being available. An example of philia love is expressed when friends visit others in hospitals to share their grief. Philia is needed to improve friends’ relationships and make the world better (Holm-Hadulla et al., 739).
Conclusion
The concept of love is often misunderstood, and people pay more attention to only one type of love. Whereas many people focus on erotic love, other types of love have distinct features. Most of the conflicts experienced in erotic love result from failure to apprehend that the love category is highly conditional, and each of the conditions must be fulfilled for the partners to enjoy joy, happiness, and peace. Unlike agape, which is unconditional and thrives without predetermined conditions, a lover who fails to meet a partner’s expectations is likely to cause conflicts. Though love language may differ from one couple to another, the number of divorce and marriage conflicts can be reduced if the lovers understand each other’s love language/expectations and act accordingly.
Works Cited
Holm-Hadulla, Rainer Matthias, and Alexander Nicolai Wendt. “Cosmopolitan Love: The Actuality of Goethe’s Passions.” International Handbook of Love. Springer, Cham, 2021, pp. 735-748.
Marsh, Michael N. “Evolving Man, Evolving Social Animal.” Sensing the Divine. Springer, Cham, 2021, pp. 51-61.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Yale University Press, 2008, pp. 349-401.