If we had to choose one word, one thing, one feeling that was and will forever be the greatest inspiration for almost all the things that matter in life, that word would undoubtedly be love. It is something that moves us, something we search for our entire life. Since the beginning of our time on Earth, love was the feeling that shaped up not only us, as persons, but the world around us and the way we perceive other things. Many things were done in the name of that same love, friends were made, peace established, and even some despicable and terrible things, but there were and always will be much more beautiful and breathtaking things.
Every religion has the same look at love, and in any of them, it represents something closely connected to belief, hope, and togetherness. It is something that keeps us going further, even when it seems like there is no way out. And that is also the reason why when someone mentions love, it brings a smile upon our faces and brings up all the good memories. But that is love in general, and for centuries now, people are trying to find and determine how many types of love there is, and how each of them is significant to us, humans, where every feeling is of utmost importance, especially when it is one of the most important ones. With that said, philia and agape are two of the most famous types of love, but nonetheless, many still don’t know the difference between these two and which is a more meaningful one. That is why we will now further discuss this topic, but let’s start with the basics and explain what each of these two is in the first place.
Philia love
No matter which literature you are reading, philia love has a similar definition. It represents a brotherly, affectionate love, or according to Bible, the love among Christians. If we are speaking about life and our relationships with other people, philia is love that we share with our best friends with whom we have a deep emotional bond and love as a part of the family.
Significant other aside, there is no higher level of love to someone you are not blood-related to than this one, but it also represents our affection for people who need help, and our wish to end their suffering, so without this love, the world would be without empathy. Many people have the wrong opinion that this love comes from long-lasting contact with someone, but that is not true since it comes to the people we choose to love because we are always choosing our friends. Friends usually share the same interests or/and like similar things, and precisely that is something that creates that bond between them even more powerful. The philia love is connected to Platon, and his idea of platonic love, since he believed that physical attraction is not essential for love, and exactly that is what philia shows to us.
Agape love
The Bible shows us Agape as the purest love, and it represents God’s love for every person in the world. This love is love with the highest degree of empathy and care for others, and it is full of forgiveness and acceptance. It is not only about being good, doing good deeds, and Agape love shows us that no matter if we agree with someone or have the same look on life, share similar interests, we can and should feel the love. Just remember the verse Love thy neighbor, as it perfectly explains everything.
The differences among people are normal, and there are no two identical people in the world, but this love is accepting them all. Agape is eternal love, and it arrives from God to every person that is willing to accept it. Many are describing it as unconditional, and the truth is that even God’s love has some conditions, but compared to others forms of love, this one is the most divine and purest. In the relationship with other people, Agape is seen in a situation when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves to help another human being when they depend on our help. The fact is that some people are not capable of feeling that form of love because it requires a lot of waivers, so selfish people find it difficult to understand.
Philia vs Agape
Now let us compare all of these loves to each other, and if that is something you want to learn even more about, visit Ken Boa. While agape and philia are considered as the most potent loves that exist, we should also briefly mention another two that are pretty common. Storge is a love connecting family members. It is natural that siblings, parents, and children share incredible bound. After all, we all know the saying blood is thicker than water.
However, we don’t choose our family, but we do choose our friends. It means that there are families that don’t have any love for each other, but a true friend is always there for us. And then we have eros. Probably the first thing that comes to people’s minds when someone says love is this one. It is about passion and desire that are shared among two romantic partners. And while eros can be pretty powerful, it is also the most unstable and passing of all types of love, nowhere near close to something like agape, which is eternal. So it is obvious that philia and agape are the strongest types of feelings we can experience.
But how do they compare to each other? Philia is more common and doesn’t require spiritual ascension for anyone to feel it. Agape is probably the hardest to understand, but its potential is unlimited. In the end, it is tough to compare these two. Affection for the entire world is a concept that can’t be understood, only felt. Anyone can understand why we should care for our friends. But it takes a special person to care for everyone in the world, even if we are talking about people who are strangers or even someone who has hurt us. That is what makes agape so special and probably the highest form of love that exists in the world.
