The Court of Love

Love.

A four letter word that comes in different forms. Some say that the ancient Greeks stated there are seven types of love. Others will say the ancient Greeks stated there are eight types of love.

But what exactly is love? How does one love? How does one define love?

Eros, love of the body.

Some will say it is the most dangerous, or the most troublesome. It happens without a warning. It starts with lust, or sexual attraction between two beings. It's the kind of love we call 'no strings attached.'

Some have chats, while others skip the chat and end up in a bedroom. Bodies intertwine within themselves. Heat is exchanged. Clothes is discarded. In that moment, there's no one else besides two souls that have found themselves tangled in each other's naked embrace.

We call these nights one night stands. Nights we hope to receive or give pleasure to strangers. It's strange how we can trust someone we have never seen or met before in our lives with our bodies. We allow them to do what they want with ours, while we do what we want with theirs.

For some people, these one night stands turn into several nights shared with that same being. That's when Eros turns into a love known as Pragma.

Pragma, long lasting love.

How do you know you have found the one out of over seven billion people in the world?

There is no exact formula as to how a man or a woman falls in love. Some have many lovers, while others are lucky on the first try, but in the end, there is always the one.

You are the one for them just as they are for you. One could not live without the other.

You seal your love with vows and remind yourself of those vows by wearing diamond rings on your ring finger. You spend the rest of your life with that person. Together you form a new love, Storge.

Storge, love tied by blood.

The love only family can give. A love that doesn't require attraction, but ties us by blood. It's natural, never forced. A love that is passed on generation by generation.

For elders, it starts when we hold the new life that was brought into the world made from our own flesh and blood. A life that's becomes precious to us. For children, it begins when we can recognize and feel the connection between us and our family.

Philia, sincere and platonic love.

A love that forms friendships. A love that does not have physical attraction. It has gone through hardships. A love where everyone is seen as an equal. A love that doesn't judge a person by who they are.

Usually, it's two people who form this friendship, but nothing says that there can't be more than two. They are our best friend. We sometimes even consider them as a part of the family. Sometimes, they understand us better than anyone else. For some it starts during their childhood, while for others it begins halfway through their life.

Philautica, love for oneself.

A love that many consider as the most important. Why? Well, how can you love someone else without loving yourself first?

Agape, selfless love.

When you give all that you have, all that you are, to those around you, without expecting anything from anyone. It's how one finds beauty in life.

Love.

No matter when love comes we appreciate everything that comes with it. All love can last for years, even until the day we die.

Love is beautiful, but everything also has an ugly side to it.

Ludus, playful love, is one of the seven types of love. Having more than one lover without having to be committed to one.

Mania, obsessive love, is considered by some as the eighth type of love. People tend to fall in love quickly and are consumed by that love, but as quickly as they fell they fall out of love.

Not all love lasts. Not all friendships, nor all relationships last.

Why you might ask?

You've answered the question yourself already. Your answer could've been in the form of one simple word, or it could've been in the form of a sentence, or short phrase.

If you haven't answered this question, then you haven't had your heart broken yet, or you haven't actually loved someone enough for them to break your heart.

What can someone possibly do to break your heart? What happens when love between two people dies? Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it doesn't.