Last week, I wrote about Eros love and explained how Eros love is based on self-benefit. It’s about you. You’re attracted to someone because of the way they look, talk, dress, etc. But when you see the other side of the person, you can become disappointed and stop loving that individual.
Philo love is described in places as “Brotherly Love.” In the Book of Revelations, the seventh church is named as the church of Philadelphia, which is known for its brotherly love. Philo love is a relationship of deep friendship.
Any relationship that starts with Philo love (or encompasses it along the way) is one that lasts much longer than Eros love. A romantic relationship that starts out on a friendship level and happens to build into a romantic relationship will have a much stronger foundation than one that is simply built on attraction. Friendship is the foundation of any successful relationships, be it marriage, dating, siblings, work, etc.
But just as Eros is temporary, so is Philo. While Eros is based on self, Philo is based on a mutual give and take circumstance. A partner will be interested in what they can get out of the relationship but, at the same time, they are concerned that the other party will also get what they need. But if there is imbalance, the relationship can end.
How many relationships in your life ended because the person moved away, the amount of time spent together had decreased for whatever reason, troubled words were said by one or exchanged by both, or simply because the other person had a different interpretation of something than you did? So, as changes happen around us or to us, this brotherly love can too change.
Can Philo love be elevated to the next level of love? Most certainly!
When the Avatars and great masters spoke of love, do you think they were talking about a temporary love?
But how can we honestly, truly love another if we do not love ourselves?
And how can we love ourselves if we do not know who we are?
Do you think you are that you are merely the body you inhabit? Do you categorize yourself only by the label bestowed upon you, e.g., mother, father, lawyer, nurse, etc.?
Aren’t all of those designations constantly changing as you go through life? And if you’re in love with your body or category, what happens when they change?
The truth is that we are much more than those things. We are love itself. We are eternal; full of knowledge and bliss. The journey of coming to the acceptance of this great knowledge is what we are now experiencing.
Yes, we must love and take care of our body. Treat it as a temple. But do not become attached to it because as soon as you become attached to a certain way you look, it’s just a matter of time before the body changes again. And yes, we work hard to provide for our families. It’s our duty to provide for our families and help in our communities and churches, temples, mosques and pay taxes to keep our nation strong and running.
The love I will speak of next week will be Agape love. When we know who we are and who we are a part of, we begin to experience this love…Agape.
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