What is love? The basics

I don't claim to be much of a writer, but besides wanting to be able to share my attempts at 'photography' through this blog, I also opened it in order to express and share some of my meager thoughts, not only for the entertainment of others, but because writing helps me to organize my thoughts. Until this point, I haven't really felt adequately equipped to delve into any sort of worthwhile topic. Even now, I'm not sure what I'm doing. But trying and failing is better than never having tried at all, so I guess I'll take a shot at today's topic: Love.

This is a topic I've been thinking quite a bit on lately, since coming to a point where I realized more than ever before how little I understood it. Yes, I'd heard I Corinthians 13, I knew that love was selfless (though it must be considered that pure agape is being described there). But what about the feelings of affection towards others; friends, family and, yes, lovers? Are 'feelings' merely an added aspect of our fallen nature, since they seem to have a sense of self-interest? Love is measured by action, not by feelings, but what constitutes true and pure love? Is love a cause or an effect, or both?

To better understand this worthy subject, I turned to C.S. Lewis, who always seems to have a quirky but very deeply thoughtful perspective. I read his work, "The Four Loves" last summer, in an attempt to broaden my understanding, but as always, what you get out of any sort of writing depends on your current mindset and what you're looking for. If you're looking for confirmation of your preconceived notions, then that is exactly what you will get. However, if you're looking for truth, as objectively as possible (since I don't believe we will ever be able to do so with completely pure motives, not in this life, anyway), with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will find it.

Lewis begins by dividing love into it's most basic elements: need-love, gift-love and appreciative love. Need-love is, essentially, a void that must be filled (Plato calls it the "son of poverty"). "As soon as we are fully conscious, we discover loneliness," Lewis says, "We need others physically, emotionally, and intellectually, if we are to know anything, even ourselves." God said that "It is not good that man should be alone (Genesis 2:18). This leaves no doubt in my mind that need-love, being built into our very natures from the 6th day of creation, is something God fully intended for us to have. I don't want to leave the impression that need-love (or either of the other two loves, for that matter) occurs only between human beings. Suffice it to say, need-love is a need, and I will delve further into the different types, and their different relations, later on. Now, of gift-love. I suppose the simplest way to define gift-love would be a love which is not necessarily earned, but causes one to give of themselves for another. Lewis defines it as "that love which moves a man to work and plan and save for the future well-being of his family which he will die without sharing or seeing". In it's purest form, gift-love would be the "agape" love, thoroughly void of need, which God is. Appreciative love is a disinterested admiration or wonder for/of the beauty, pleasance or awesomeness of a person or thing. Keep in mind that none of these three loves, "except need-love, ever exists alone in 'chemical' purity", Lewis says, "for more than a few seconds." Keep in mind, also, that due to our fallen nature, all three can be corrupted. "We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods, then they become demons. Then they will destroy us, and also themselves. For natural loves which are allowed to become gods do not remain loves." -C.S. Lewis. Do not be ruled by your emotions, but rule over them.

I would love to go further in my exploration at this time, but I fear I would bore you. Also, I would like to think more on this subject, and perhaps see what any commentators have to add. I will say that I will will most likely write about the "pleasure loves" next, as Lewis does in his book, and perhaps explore the four greek loves if I have time. Also, I would like to feel like I've actually accomplished something, today, so I'ma go get some other things done. But I do hope that my entry has made some sense, and that it's enjoyable and thought-provoking to whoever reads it. If you have thoughts to add, by all means, I'd love to hear them. Well, I guess I'll stop typing now. Over and out.