tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66945623439005259022024-03-13T14:06:04.262-07:00LoveUmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-65735990313644894342011-07-04T22:28:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:28:33.909-07:00Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading">Love</h1><div id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div><div class="dablink">For other uses, see Love (disambiguation).</div><div class="metadata topicon" id="protected-icon" style="display: none; right: 55px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Protection_policy#semi" title="This article is semi-protected indefinitely in response to an ongoing high risk of vandalism."><img alt="Page semi-protected" height="20" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Padlock-silver.svg/20px-Padlock-silver.svg.png" width="20" /></a></div><div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;"> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"></div>Archetypal lovers Romeo and Juliet portrayed by Frank Dicksee</div></div></div><div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;"> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"></div>An illustration of the unconditional love between a little girl and her dog.</div></div></div><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DickseeRomeoandJuliet.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="254" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/DickseeRomeoandJuliet.jpg/170px-DickseeRomeoandJuliet.jpg" width="170" /></a><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_girl_and_her_dog.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="113" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/A_girl_and_her_dog.jpg/170px-A_girl_and_her_dog.jpg" width="170" /></a><b>Love</b> is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-oxford_0-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> Love may also be described as actions towards others (or oneself) based on compassion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fromm.2C_Eric_1956_2-0"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup> Or as actions towards others based on affection.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fromm.2C_Eric_1956_2-1"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup><br />
In English, the word <i>love</i> can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure ("I loved that meal") to intense interpersonal attraction ("I love my partner"). "Love" can also refer specifically to the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love, to the sexual love of eros (cf. Greek words for love), to the emotional closeness of familial love, or to the platonic love that defines friendship,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PlatonicSchool_3-0"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Gita_4-0"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></sup> This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.<br />
Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.<br />
Helen Fisher defines what could be understood as love as an evolved state of the survival instinct, primarily used to keep human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species through reproduction.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fisher_5-0"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup></div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-45427635775929301232011-07-04T22:25:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:25:18.236-07:00Chemical basis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Chemical_basis">Chemical basis</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: Chemical basis for love</div>Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lewis_12-0"><span>[</span>13<span>]</span></sup> Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others; romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating; and attachment involves tolerating the spouse (or indeed the child) long enough to rear a child into infancy.<br />
<div class="thumb tleft"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 252px;"> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"></div>Simplified overview of the chemical basis of love</div></div></div><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chemical_basis_of_love.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="230" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Chemical_basis_of_love.png/250px-Chemical_basis_of_love.png" width="250" /></a>Lust is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, and involves the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms. Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including pheromones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which act in a manner similar to amphetamines, stimulating the brain's pleasure center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-human_13-0"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></sup><br />
Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or on mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin to a greater degree than short-term relationships have.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-human_13-1"><span>[</span>14<span>]</span></sup> Enzo Emanuele and coworkers reported the protein molecule known as the nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these return to previous levels after one year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14"><span>[</span>15<span>]</span></sup></div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-43048419939871898712011-07-04T22:22:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:22:48.971-07:00Chinese and other Sinic cultures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Chinese_and_other_Sinic_cultures">Chinese and other Sinic cultures</span></h3><table class="metadata mbox-small selfref" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #aaa; width: 22em;"><tbody>
<tr> <td class="mbox-image"></td> <td class="mbox-text" style="font-size: 95%; vertical-align: middle;"><b>This article contains Chinese text.</b> Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="thumb tright"> <a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Love_zh.svg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="184" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Love_zh.svg/170px-Love_zh.svg.png" width="170" /></a><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;"> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"></div>"Ai," the traditional Chinese character for love (愛) consists of a heart (middle) inside of "accept," "feel," or "perceive," which shows a graceful emotion. It can also be interpreted as a hand offering ones heart to another hand.</div></div></div>Two philosophical underpinnings of love exist in the Chinese tradition, one from Confucianism which emphasized actions and duty while the other came from Mohism which championed a universal love. A core concept to Confucianism is <i>Ren</i> ("benevolent love", 仁), which focuses on duty, action and attitude in a relationship rather than love itself. In Confucianism, one displays benevolent love by performing actions such as filial piety from children, kindness from parent, loyalty to the king and so forth.<br />
The concept of <i>Ai</i> (愛) was developed by the Chinese philosopher Mozi in the 4th century BC in reaction to Confucianism's benevolent love. Mozi tried to replace what he considered to be the long-entrenched Chinese over-attachment to family and clan structures with the concept of "universal love" (<i>jiān'ài</i>, 兼愛). In this, he argued directly against Confucians who believed that it was natural and correct for people to care about different people in different degrees. Mozi, by contrast, believed people in principle should care for all people equally. Mohism stressed that rather than adopting different attitudes towards different people, love should be unconditional and offered to everyone without regard to reciprocation, not just to friends, family and other Confucian relations. Later in Chinese Buddhism, the term <i>Ai</i> (愛) was adopted to refer to a passionate caring love and was considered a fundamental desire. In Buddhism, <i>Ai</i> was seen as capable of being either selfish or selfless, the latter being a key element towards enlightenment.</div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-44446263167447906782011-07-04T22:20:00.001-07:002011-07-04T22:20:46.604-07:00Ancient Greek<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Ancient_Greek">Ancient Greek</span></h3>Greek distinguishes several different senses in which the word "love" is used. For example, Ancient Greek has the words <i>philia</i>, <i>eros</i>, <i>agape</i>, <i>storge</i>, and <i>xenia</i>. However, with Greek (as with many other languages), it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words totally. At the same time, the Ancient Greek text of the Bible has examples of the verb <i>agapo</i> having the same meaning as <i>phileo</i>.<br />
<i>Agape</i> (<span lang="grc">ἀγάπη</span> <i>agápē</i>) means <i>love</i> in modern-day Greek. The term <i>s'agapo</i> means <i>I love you</i> in Greek. The word <i>agapo</i> is the verb <i>I love</i>. It generally refers to a "pure," ideal type of love, rather than the physical attraction suggested by <i>eros</i>. However, there are some examples of <i>agape</i> used to mean the same as <i>eros</i>. It has also been translated as "love of the soul."<br />
<i>Eros</i> (<span lang="grc">ἔρως</span> <i>érōs</i>) (from the Greek deity Eros) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Greek word <i>erota</i> means <i>in love</i>. Plato refined his own definition. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth by eros. Some translations list it as "love of the body."<br />
<i>Philia</i> (<span lang="grc">φιλία</span> <i>philía</i>), a dispassionate virtuous love, was a concept developed by Aristotle. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Philia is motivated by practical reasons; one or both of the parties benefit from the relationship. It can also mean "love of the mind."</div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-33083437792002836112011-07-04T22:17:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:17:33.612-07:00Ancient Roman (Latin)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Ancient_Roman_.28Latin.29">Ancient Roman (Latin)</span></h3>The Latin language has several different verbs corresponding to the English word "love." <i>Amāre</i> is the basic word for <i>to love</i>, as it still is in Italian today. The Romans used it both in an affectionate sense as well as in a romantic or sexual sense. From this verb come <i>amans</i>—a lover, amator, "professional lover," often with the accessory notion of lechery—and <i>amica</i>, "girlfriend" in the English sense, often as well being applied euphemistically to a prostitute. The corresponding noun is <i>amor</i> (the significance of this term for the Romans is well illustrated in the fact, that the name of the City, Rome—in Latin: <i>Roma</i>—can be viewed as an anagram for <i>amor</i>, which was used as the secret name of the City in wide circles in ancient times),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></sup> which is also used in the plural form to indicate love affairs or sexual adventures. This same root also produces <i>amicus</i>—"friend"—and <i>amicitia</i>, "friendship" (often based to mutual advantage, and corresponding sometimes more closely to "indebtedness" or "influence"). Cicero wrote a treatise called <i>On Friendship</i> (<i>de Amicitia</i>), which discusses the notion at some length. Ovid wrote a guide to dating called <i>Ars Amatoria</i> (<i>The Art of Love</i>), which addresses, in depth, everything from extramarital affairs to overprotective parents.<br />
Complicating the picture somewhat, Latin sometimes uses <i>amāre</i> where English would simply say <i>to like</i>. This notion, however, is much more generally expressed in Latin by <i>placere</i> or <i>delectāre</i>, which are used more colloquially, the latter used frequently in the love poetry of Catullus. <i>Diligere</i> often has the notion "to be affectionate for," "to esteem," and rarely if ever is used for romantic love. This word would be appropriate to describe the friendship of two men. The corresponding noun <i>diligentia</i>, however, has the meaning of "diligence" or "carefulness," and has little semantic overlap with the verb. <i>Observare</i> is a synonym for <i>diligere</i>; despite the cognate with English, this verb and its corresponding noun, <i>observantia</i>, often denote "esteem" or "affection." <i>Caritas</i> is used in Latin translations of the Christian Bible to mean "charitable love"; this meaning, however, is not found in Classical pagan Roman literature. As it arises from a conflation with a Greek word, there is no corresponding verb.</div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-56955957273549557572011-07-04T22:15:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:15:18.858-07:00Eastern religions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Eastern_religions">Eastern religions</span></h3><h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Buddhism">Buddhism</span></h4>In Buddhism, <i>Kāma</i> is sensuous, sexual love. It is an obstacle on the path to enlightenment, since it is selfish. <i>Karuṇā</i> is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. It is complementary to wisdom and is necessary for enlightenment. <i>Adveṣa</i> and <i>mettā</i> are benevolent love. This love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. This is quite different from ordinary love, which is usually about attachment and sex and which rarely occurs without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.<br />
The Bodhisattva ideal in Mahayana Buddhism involves the complete renunciation of oneself in order to take on the burden of a suffering world. The strongest motivation one has in order to take the path of the Bodhisattva is the idea of salvation within unselfish, altruistic love for all sentient beings.<br />
<h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Hinduism">Hinduism</span></h4><div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;"> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"></div>Kama (left) with Rati on a temple wall of Chennakesava Temple, Belur</div></div></div><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kama_Rati.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="203" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Kama_Rati.jpg/170px-Kama_Rati.jpg" width="170" /></a>In Hinduism, <i>kāma</i> is pleasurable, sexual love, personified by the god Kamadeva. For many Hindu schools, it is the third end (<i>artha</i>) in life. Kamadeva is often pictured holding a bow of sugar cane and an arrow of flowers; he may ride upon a great parrot. He is usually accompanied by his consort Rati and his companion Vasanta, lord of the spring season. Stone images of Kamadeva and Rati can be seen on the door of the Chennakeshava temple at Belur, in Karnataka, India. <i>Maara</i> is another name for <i>kāma</i>.<br />
In contrast to <i>kāma</i>, <i>prema</i> – or <i>prem</i> – refers to elevated love. <i>Karuna</i> is compassion and mercy, which impels one to help reduce the suffering of others. <i>Bhakti</i> is a Sanskrit term, meaning "loving devotion to the supreme God." A person who practices <i>bhakti</i> is called a <i>bhakta</i>. Hindu writers, theologians, and philosophers have distinguished nine forms of <i>bhakti</i>, which can be found in the Bhagavata Purana and works by Tulsidas. The philosophical work <i>Narada Bhakti Sutras</i>, written by an unknown author (presumed to be Narada), distinguishes eleven forms of love.</div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-7954436255073081512011-07-04T22:12:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:12:40.214-07:00Islam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Islam">Islam</span></h4>In a sense, love does encompass the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold the faith. There are no direct references stating that God is love, but amongst the 99 names of God (Allah), there is the name <i>Al-Wadud</i>, or "the Loving One," which is found in Surah <sup>[Qur'an 11:90]</sup> as well as Surah <sup>[Qur'an 85:14]</sup>. It refers to God as being "full of loving kindness." All who hold the faith have God's love, but to what degree or effort he has pleased God depends on the individual itself.<br />
<i>Ishq</i>, or divine love, is the emphasis of Sufism. Sufis believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe. God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God "looks" at itself within the dynamics of nature. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. Sufism is often referred to as the religion of love.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from April 2011">[<i>citation needed</i>]</sup> God in Sufism is referred to in three main terms, which are the Lover, Loved, and Beloved, with the last of these terms being often seen in Sufi poetry. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through love, humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace. The saints of Sufism are infamous for being "drunk" due to their love of God; hence, the constant reference to wine in Sufi poetry and music.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from April 2011">[<i>citation needed</i>]</sup></div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6694562343900525902.post-6647318263348048672011-07-04T22:11:00.000-07:002011-07-04T22:11:25.064-07:00Religious views<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Religious_views">Religious views</span></h2><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: Religious views on love</div><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Abrahamic_religions">Abrahamic religions</span></h3><div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"></div>Robert Indiana's 1977 <i>Love</i> sculpture spelling <i>ahava</i> in Israel</div></div></div><h4><span class="mw-headline" id="Judaism">Judaism</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ahava.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="145" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Ahava.jpg/220px-Ahava.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>In Hebrew, <i>Ahava</i> is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love between God and God's creations. Chesed, often translated as loving-kindness, is used to describe many forms of love between human beings.<br />
The commandment to love other people is given in the Torah, which states, "Love your neighbor like yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). The Torah's commandment to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5) is taken by the Mishnah (a central text of the Jewish oral law) to refer to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one's life rather than commit certain serious transgressions, willingness to sacrifice all of one's possessions, and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5). Rabbinic literature differs as to how this love can be developed, e.g., by contemplating divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature. As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The biblical book Song of Solomon is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading, reads like a love song. The 20th-century Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point of view as "giving without expecting to take" (from his <i>Michtav me-Eliyahu</i>, Vol. 1).</div>Umerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695541556650316904noreply@blogger.com0