Art of Loving — Part 2
Care, responsibility, respect and knowledge are mutually interdependent. These components are indicators of an attitude which is most commonly in a mature person. A person who develops their own strength and powers, productively. A person who only wishes for what they have worked, for what they have earned and for what they deserve. They give up all the self-centred and narcissistic aspirations of having all the power and knowing all the things. These are people who have acquired humility through their inner strength. Only genuine productivity can generate such humility.
The fundamental in the art of loving remains the same and it transcends into various object of which a person may love or is capable of loving. Thus, the distinction can only be made on the basis of the objects of love.
Brotherly Love — This is the most fundamental and detached form of love. Brotherly love encompasses all kinds of love, for all kinds of living beings. In brotherly love, a person loves another person or living being as they would love themselves.
Motherly Love — This is the purest form of love that exists. It entails the highest intensities of care, concern, responsibility and knowledge. Motherly love is all about giving, in fact, it is ultimate example of giving. A mother feels joy and satisfaction by loving her child. Her only desire being the well-being and happiness of her child.
Erotic Love — This is the most misunderstood object of love. Erotic love or romantic love most commonly stays with in the limits of physical needs and satisfaction and is not able to evolve into the union that is between the souls of two people. To love somebody is not just a strong feeling — it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. Because feelings come and go, but commitment towards the person you love is something that forms the foundation of everlasting relationships.
Self-Love — Self-love is another concept that is widely misunderstood. It is more often seen a narcissism and self-obsession rather than an important object love. The significance of self-love lies in the fact that a person who cannot love themselves, can never love others. The capability of a person to love themselves makes them realize the joy that one gets by loving and the joy that one gets by getting loved. The assurance of one’s own life, happiness, growth and freedom lies in one’s ability to love, that means, in care, respect, responsibility, and knowledge. If an individual is able to love productively, they love themselves too.
Love for God — Finally, there is the love of God. This is a religious form of love. It emerges from the human need to find meaning in our world and aims for a spiritual union with an all-knowing, transcendent being.
