Edie Roones

Different Types of Love The Greeks have four different words for love, each representing a different type. Eros :: the love that includes sexual passion.  This is the love that we usually mean, the miraculous and mysterious love that joins two hearts in a relationship Storge :: the love between parents and children, familial love.  It has expanded to include the love we feel toward a protective patron (such as patriotic love for our nation) or fan-based love (“That’s my sports team”). Agape :: the love of God for people and of people for God;  the charity of Corinthians 13. Philia :: “brotherly love” which is loyalty, comradeship, affectionate friendship;  community compassion. Philia is our focus on Love in this blog.  Many of us have experienced that desirous connection to family and community that drives us to reach out to those in need. This brotherly love forms the basis of Rufus Wainwright’s “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother,” t...

The Greatest Love Poem in the World What should love be?    Insta-Lust?  No, love is lasting. Weak when faced with problems?  No, love is strong. Selfish and self-focused?  Love is mutually focused. True love is integral to the soul.  It colors and brightens our world and gives us guidance in the other spheres of life, helping us survive the professional slog and the communal drivel.  It gives potential to the elements necessary for growth and abundance. This poem expresses all of that. Personally, cummings is one of the few poets who still intrigues me.  This poem is proof that he is more than the gimmick of unusual punctuation and capitalization. What does the poem say? Speech and thought go hand in hand, side by side, just as a couple should.  “Whatever is done by me” is not me alone.  The other half of the whole contributes just as much, just not in the same way.  Each powers the other, even w...