Impact of Love Essay Example

Love is a word that is often taken for granted on a daily basis. People need to understand the true meaning of love. As well as, grasp how love can tremendously influence lives. As you may or may not know, the Greeks have separated love into many different categories and associated them with feelings. There are eight different types of love, but I think there are three that are especially important. First, there is Philia love, or friendship love, the connection you feel when you are with a special friend. The second is Storge love, or familial love, the connection you feel with your family members. Then, Agape love, universal love, the connection you feel for people that you don’t know. All types of love, including Philia, Storge, and Agape can have great significance and can impact lives and relationships in many ways.

When I think about Philia and Storge love, I group them in the same category, I view friends as family. As the saying goes “Friends are the family you choose” (Mia Sheridan). When I was younger I never really saw my dad, but when I was about 6 he had decided to become a part of my life. I never really felt like a part of his family, so I never felt the Storage love when I was with them. I only got to see them every other weekend, but only if he actually made the commitment to pick me up. When I was about 10, I made the decision to tell my dad I didn’t want to see him anymore. I came to this conclusion because he didn’t show up half of the time, and I wanted to spend more time with my mom’s family. In this scenario, I gave up on trying to get the Storge love connection with my dad and his family. But, I never decided to talk to my mom because I don’t feel comfortable talking to her about it. Four years later (now) and I am continuing not to talk to my mom about it because I don’t trust her. Trust is a huge part of being able to feel love with anybody, because relationships are built upon trust. It has always been hard for me to feel a Storge connection with any of my family (Dad’s or Mom’s). This is where I feel Storge and Philia love to combine. Sometimes I feel like my friends seem more like my family. Unlike my family, I feel that I can trust my friends. I talk to my friends about everything I encounter in life and every feeling that follows. I lean on them for any advice I need, and they do their best to help, no matter the situation. Not only do I feel the Philia love with them but since they are like my family I also feel the Storge love too,  because they are my main if not only support system. 

This love many people struggle with because humans are selfish and Agape love is selfless love, all about loving anyone, and everyone unconditionally. Agape love is when you have no expectations of anything in return, but you are just being selfless and loving a person. This love can lead to doing many selfless things, such as protesting for people and causes, or donating to people in need. I feel Agape love for many people including families, with struggling children. This love that I had led me to donating my birthday gifts every year to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, for families that are struggling. This shows Agape love, because I don’t know the exact people that I donate to and I don’t expect anything in return. We have a very selfish world and a little Agape love could change that, and make the world a better place.

Philautia love is super important and is a key to feel all the other loves. You have to know how to accept and appreciate yourself before you can do so for others. I am continuing to work on Philautia love today, and I struggle with it. I am super hard on myself to be perfect with everything. Things we can do to help with Philautia love  is to recognize your self-worth and don’t ignore your personal needs. Understand who you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It is super hard to encounter the other types of love, when you don’t love and appreciate yourself. Today, more and more people are struggling with mental health because they feel like they have to be a certain way or look a certain way so they don’t love themselves, which inturn makes it hard to love others. Overall, it is super important to feel Philautia love before you can feel any other love.

Storge, Philia, and Philautia love affect our lives in so many ways and can influence our relationships with ourselves and others. It builds strong relationships and can help you grow as a person. Many people take love for granted but it has a strong role in our lives and overall the world. Loving is super important and needs to have a happy life.