The month of February reminds us on the significance of love in our daily life as individuals and members of organizations. Eager to relate and reinforce my understanding of the word love led me to browse the net. As I tried to look for some answers to some questions I was surprised that my stock knowledge needs to be updated with the latest write ups on the kinds of love. I must admit that maybe I forgot that there are four types of love mentioned in the Bible. Jack Zayada in his ThoughtCo article reiterated the Greek words Eros, Agape, Storge and Philia are the forms of love found in the Bible. Eros is the Greek word for sensual love; Storge describes family love; Philia describes the powerful emotional bond seen in deep friendships; and Agape is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.
However, the story does not end on the 4 forms of love. Mateo Sol of lonerwolf.com cited the 8 kinds of love according to the Ancient Greeks. The types include Eros or Erotic love; Philia or Affectionate Love; Storge or Familiar Love; Mania or Obsessive Love; Pragma or Enduring Love; Philautia or Self Love; and Agape or Selfless Love.
Reflecting on the types or forms of love provided me an idea as to how cooperatives were organized. Some cooperatives were started by clans or family members; others were set-up by circle of friends; some were established by church leaders; and others were state inspired. This shows that love works in mysterious ways.
Like cooperatives with more than 20 types, love brings us closer to each other as human beings. Different types of cooperatives are being registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the unifying factor is the belief that cooperative is a way of life and its formation is anchored on the idea that pooling resources together creates a difference. The difference is not merely on the financial aspects but also on the social responsibility to help one another and ease the burden of life.
If the different kinds of love can be sustained by all groups of people around the globe then tendencies of misunderstanding can be minimized. While we cannot perfectly claim that most people have these kinds of love, membership in cooperatives can partly imply our willingness to be one regardless of religion, creed and political ideologies. Valentine’s Day teach us to reflect that we can always say we know love but in application we fail to realize that some of our actions ruin others emotionally. As brothers and sisters in the eyes of the Lord, Valentine’s celebration is not solely for lovers but for all people who appreciates the goodness of the Lord in giving us pure heart to care for each other.
