What is love? The meaning of the word is multifaceted. We'll try to figure it out anyway. Since there is a certain essence behind every word, for a better understanding it is necessary to highlight the types of love and the variety of the most ambiguous feeling in the world.
Lexical meaning
First, let's define what is the lexical meaning of the word "love". According to the dictionary, the lexical meaning includes the most general and essential signs of an event or phenomenon. The lexical meaning is abstract to the limit and does not pay attention to the specific features of the fact of objective reality. Based on this scientific and slightly vague definition, which we also had to shorten, it turns out that “love” (the meaning of the word follows) is a feeling of affection or sympathy for a person or thing. Yes, sadly, things can also be loved. And some love things even more than people.
Types of love
There can be as many classifications of love as there are scientists in the world. And perhaps each person can give his own definition and classification. We chosethe following systematization:
- Eros.
- Fileo.
- Storge.
- Agape.
Let's characterize each one in turn.
Eros is love. It is “volatile”, it appears quickly, but it also evaporates instantly. Depends on the external qualities of the object. In other words, eros is passion without any other ingredients.
Phileo - sympathy for a friend. This kind of love is not based on beauty. In this case, a person is attracted by the inner qualities of another. Naturally, this feeling is more durable than the first and less changeable, but it comes to an end if a friend betrays or insults.
Storge is the love of children for parents or parents for children. This feeling is almost reflex. 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. Any number of examples. Parents continue to love children who are drug addicts and alcoholics. And children who grew up in an orphanage often look for their negligent parents. This is storge.
Agape is a special kind of spiritual love for a person, which, on the one hand, is unconditional, disinterested and does not require anything for itself, and on the other hand, it understands everything and forgives everything. For example, a mother who loves her child so much sees his shortcomings, but forgives them, and does not turn a blind eye to the disadvantages of human nature, as in the previous case.
True, each classification has its own ideal. Agape likeAs a rule, it is inaccessible to an ordinary person (except perhaps as a result of divine inspiration), such love is the lot of the prophets (Christ) and prominent public figures (M. Gandhi).
As can be seen from the classification and examples, love (including the meaning of the word) is diverse and depends on what kind of meaning is put into this concept in a given situation and what exactly it expresses:
- Friendship.
- Passionate love.
- Love for parents/children.
- Spiritual selfless love.
At the same time, one must remember that in reality there is no clear separation of feelings and cannot be, because reality is based on chaos. However, we are ready to talk about motherly love and its ambiguity.
Mother's love
Ideally, motherly love is either storge or agape. More often the first, because the second is the lot of units. Mother's love is programmed by nature. Without it, people would not have survived the first years of their children's lives. Fathers have a harder time developing the social skill of loving children. That is why a mother's love is unconditional - a gift from heaven, and a 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 be at a loss and answer. But that is not all. It is worth highlighting the problem of the ambiguity of motherly love.
Moms and goddesses
Yes, ideally, mom understands everything, forgives everything, always supports. But peoplenot the gods, but the people. We learn from our parents not only good, but also bad. And mothers can not only love their children, but also put pressure on them, use them as a tool to achieve their own goals that they did not submit to.
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 a mother is unconditional love and kindness.
But the ancients already knew how changeable a 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 both birth and death, and death was sudden, irrational and absurd. The word "death" is also, by the way, feminine. And this is no accident.
In other words, it is not so easy to answer the question of what love is. The meaning of the word suggests different interpretations.
The main difficulty in analyzing the meaning of such words is that, on the one hand, they are extremely abstract - they contain an incredible number of meanings, and on the other hand, they are extremely specific when an inexperienced person operates with them. One way or another, we consider that the task is completed. And if someone ever says to the reader: “How do you understand the meaning of the word love, formulate it quickly, without hesitation!” - he will not be at a loss and will answer.
