Saturday, January 2, 2010

Agape. my favorite word.


(pronounced /ˈæɡə.piː/ AG-ə-pee;[1] and sometimes /əˈɡɑː.peɪ/ ə-GAH-pay after the Classical Greek agápē; Modern Greek: αγάπη [aˈɣapi]), also called parental love, is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love. Although the word does not have specific religious connotation, the word has been used by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Biblical authors and Christian authors. Thomas Jay Oord has defined agape as "an intentional response to promote well-being when responding to that which has generated ill-being."[citation needed] In his book, The Pilgrimage, author Paulo Coelho defines it as "the love that consumes," i.e., the highest and purest form of love, one that surpasses all other types of affection. Greek philosophers at the time of Plato and other ancient authors have used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity, in contrast to philia—an affection that could denote either brotherhood or generally non-sexual affection, and eros, an affection of a sexual nature.
(from http://www.wikipedia.com/)


Perhaps because there is absolutely nothing else worth obsessing over and wasting a lifetime searching for, this word that essentially means "true love" has literally been branded on me for the past year. Agape- my daily reminder that love is not just a warm feeling for the hopelessly romantic. It's an unconditional, passionate, intense, & daring way of life: a choice that doesn't always make sense or weigh the consequences. It is oblivious to any previous heartache, as if it happened a lifetime ago, to someone else far away. This rare thing called love that trusts, protects, hopes and sees good: how did we ever manage to mess this up? And because nothing else comes close & nothing else will satisfy, settling is not an option. Counterfeits and bootlegs, save your efforts for another sucker. I'll sniff you out and kick you to the curb. I have a 6th sense for that sort of thing now. To those searching for the real thing...here we go. 2010. Great expectations.

<3


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