Love: the meaning of words, types and examples

What is love? The meaning of the word is multifaceted. We will try to determine it somehow. Since every word has a certain essence, for better understanding it is necessary to illuminate the types of love and the diversity of the most ambiguous feelings in the world.

Lexical meaning

To begin with, we determine what the lexical meaning of the word "love" is. According to the dictionary, the lexical meaning includes the most common and significant signs of an event or phenomenon. The lexical meaning is abstract to the limit and does not pay attention to specific features of the fact of objective reality. Proceeding from this scientific and slightly misty definition, which we also had to abbreviate, it goes: "love" (the meaning of the word follows) is a feeling of affection or sympathy towards a person or thing. Yes, sadly, things can also be loved. And some people love things even more than people.

Kinds of love

Classifications of love can be as many as scientists in the world. And perhaps, each person can give his definition and classification. We have chosen the following systematization:

• Eros.
• Phileo.
• Storge.
• Agape.

Sequentially characterize each.

Eros is love. It is "volatile", occurs quickly, but also evaporates instantaneously. Depends on the external qualities of the object. In other words, Eros is a passion without any other components.

Phileo - sympathy for a friend. This kind of love is not based on beauty. In this case, the person is attracted to the inner qualities of the other. Naturally, this feeling is more durable than the first and less changeable, but it comes to an end if the friend betrays or insults.

Storge - the love of children for parents or parents for children. This feeling is almost reflexive. It does not depend on the external characteristics of the object, and even often the actions of children (sometimes parents) are not taken into account. There are plenty of examples. Parents continue to love drug addicts and alcoholics. And children who grew up in an orphanage often look for their careless parents. This is Storge.

Agape is a special kind of spiritual love for a person who, on the one hand, is unconditional, unselfish and does not require anything for herself, but on the other hand, she understands everything and forgives everything. For example, a mother who loves her child sees his shortcomings, but forgives them, and does not turn a blind eye to the minuses of human nature, as in the previous case.

True, each classification has its own ideal. Agape, as a rule, is inaccessible to the average person (except as a result of divine inspiration), such love belongs to the prophets (Christ) and outstanding public figures (M. Gandhi).

As can be seen from the classification and examples, love (the meaning of the word including) is diverse and depends on what kind of meaning is put into this concept in this or that situation and what exactly it expresses:

• Friendship.
• Passionate love.
• Love of parents / children.
• Spiritual unselfish love.

It should be remembered that in reality there is no clear division of feelings and can not be, because chaos is at the heart of reality. However, we are already ready to talk about maternal love and its ambiguity.

Mother's love

Ideally, the mother's love is either storge, or agape. More often the first, because the second - the destiny of units. Mother's love is programmed by nature. If it were not, then people would not survive the first years of life of their children. It is more difficult for fathers to develop social skills of love for children. That's why mother's love is unconditional - a gift from heaven, and father's love can be earned and lost. Mother continues to love all the time.

Thus, if the reader is stopped on the street and asked: "What is the meaning of the word" mother's love "?" - he will not lose his head and answer. But that is not all. It is worth highlighting the problem of the ambiguity of maternal love.

Moms and Goddesses

Yes, ideally Mom understands everything, forgives everything, always supports. But people are not brought up by the gods, but people. We learn from parents not only good, but also bad. And mothers can not only love their children, but also pressure them, use them as a tool to achieve their own goals, which they did not obey.

A woman in some situations and cases is more cruel than a man. But this is unpopular information, because it destroys one of the fundamental cultural myths, that the mother is an unconditional love and good.

But the ancients already knew how changeable the woman's heart is not only in relation to men, but also in relation to children. The main goddesses of some archaic cults were responsible for birth and death, and death is sudden, irrational and absurd. The word "death" is also, by the way, feminine. And it's no accident.

In other words, it is not so easy to answer the question, what is love. The meaning of the word implies different interpretations.

The main difficulty in analyzing the meaning of such words is that they, on the one hand, are extremely abstract - contain an incredible number of meanings, and on the other hand, are extremely specific when they are operated by an inexperienced person. Anyway, we think that the task has been accomplished. And if someone ever says to the reader: "As you understand the meaning of the word love, formulate quickly, without hesitation!" - he will not lose his head and answer.