Love

Even though in monotheistic religions, the God is considered to represent love, there are often angels or similar beings that represent love as well. Over 1.5 million people participated in that vote. Here is a list of the gods and goddesses of love in different mythologies. He recieved more votes than any other player in that team. Different cultures have deified love, typically in both male and female form. He was chosen for the UEFA team of 2005 for the third time running in January 2006. Romantic love per se has few echoes in Jewish literature, although the medieval rabbi Judah Halevi wrote romantic poetry in Arabic in his younger years (he appears to have regretted this later). Ronaldinho has a son named Joao, who was born in February 2005.

I). In December 2005, he and Mauricio de Sousa, a famous Brazilian comic book author, announced the creation of a comic character based upon Ronaldinho, his brother and his mother. 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 Michtav me-Eliyahu, vol. On December 19, 2005, he was again named FIFA World Player of the Year ahead of Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Barça teammate Samuel Eto'o with 910 votes. The Biblical book Song of Songs is a considered a romantically-phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading reads like a love song. Ronaldinho is the third Brazilian to win the European Footballer of the Year Award^[1]. As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). In 2005 Ronaldinho was named as both the European Footballer of the Year and the best striker in the UEFA Champions League tournament of 2004/2005.

by contemplating Divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature. After he scored his second goal of the night, his team's third, a large part of the Madrid faithfuls gave him a standing ovation, a rare feat which occurred last when Diego Maradona was in Barcelona. Rabbinic literature differs how this love can be developed, e.g. There he stole the ball from the center and scored with remarkable breaks, luring in the process most of Madrid players. As for the latter, one is commanded to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5), 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 one's possessions and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5). On November 19, 2005, he scored two amazing goals to help FC Barcelona to a 3–0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. As for the former, the Torah states: "Love your neighbor like yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Pelé named Ronaldinho in his 125 Top Living Footballers in March 2004.

Judaism employs a wide definition of love, both between people and between man and the Deity. On June 29, 2005, he played a pivotal role as the captain of the Brazilian squad which won its second FIFA Confederations Cup title, where he was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over Argentina in the final. Other related but dissimilar terms are Chen (grace) and Hesed, which basically combines the meaning of "affection" and "compassion" and is sometimes rendered in English as "loving-kindness". On December 20, 2004, Ronaldinho was named FIFA World Player of the Year ahead of Arsenal's Thierry Henry and AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko. In Hebrew Ahava is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love of God. Together with Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Ludovic Giuly and Henrik Larsson, he comprises part of an awesome strike force which reaped the 2004/05 La Liga title for FC Barcelona. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through Love humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace. Ronaldinho justified their purchase, leading them to a second-place finish in La Liga during the 03/04 season.

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. On July 19, FC Barcelona snapped him up for €27 million, beating Manchester United to his signature. Sufism is oftentimes referred to as the religion of Love. That set off a bidding war among the top clubs for his services. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. In 2003, Ronaldinho made it known he wanted to leave PSG after they failed to qualify for any European competitions. 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. One of the highlights of the tournament was an outrageous (if fortunate) 35-metre lob he scored against England in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka, although he was sent off soon after a harsh foul on Danny Mills.

Sufis believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe.
In 2002, Ronaldinho helped Brazil win the World Cup. Ishq, or divine love, is the emphasis of Sufism. During his time at PSG, the manager, Luis Fernandez, claimed that Ronaldinho was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than on his football. All who hold the faith have God's love, but to what degree or effort he has pleased God depends on the individual itself. Despite several generous bids from Premiership teams, and several requests from Grêmio, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract for Paris Saint-Germain, and started his contract at the beginning of the following season. One still has God's love, but how the person evaluates his own worth is to his own and God's own counsel. Towards the end of his career at Grêmio, in 2001, many clubs from all over the world, particularly premiership teams in the United Kingdom, were eager to sign him as an attempt to attain a "big name" player, as well as a well performing player.

In Islam, love is more often than not used as an incentive for sinners to aspire to be as worthy of God's love as they may. On his first appearance (on June 26, 1999) his winning goal against Venezuela helped the team win the Copa América. It refers to God as being "full of loving kindness". This was followed by his introduction into the Brazilian national team. There are no direct references stating that God is love, but amongst the 99 names of God (Allah), there is the name Al-Wadud or 'the Loving One', which is found in Surah 11:90 as well as Surah 85:14. His professional career began at Grêmio, where his penchant for goalscoring was displayed; generating speculation and interest around his career due to his phenomenal ball control and ability to score. In a sense, love does encompass the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood which applies to all who hold the faith. His reputation as a footballer was upheld during most of his childhood, particularly due to the fact he was the top scorer in the Egypt under-17 world championship, and to his stylish play.

The booklet Narada bhakti sutra written by an unknown author distinguishes eleven forms of love. His first brush with the media came after a 23 goal flurry from Ronaldinho at just 13 years of age. Hindu writers, theologians, and philosophers have distinguished nine forms of devotion that they call bhakti, for example in the Bhagavatha-Purana and according to Tulsidas. In his childhood, Ronaldinho's skill in football began to blossom due to his particular interest in futsal and beach football, which later developed into a fondness for more standardised football. A person who practices bhakti is called bhakta. . Bhakti is a Sanskrit term from Hinduism meaning 'loving devotion to the supreme God'. He is widely regarded as the best player in the world.

Karuna is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. Among his many achievements and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice as well as both the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award once. In contrast to kāma, prema or prem refers to elevated love. His name Ronaldinho, portugese for "little ronaldo", was originally devised as a means of distinguishing between himself, and fellow Brazilian footballer Ronaldo. For many Hindu schools it is the third end in life (artha). Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil) is a footballer more commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho due to his citizenship in the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil. In Hinduism kāma is pleasurable, sexual love, personified by the god Kama.

Many Christian theologians see God as the source of love, which is mirrored in humans and their relationships. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but the save the world through him." (NIV John 3:16-17). John the Apostle wrote, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Christians also believe that God felt so much agape love for man that he sacrificed his son for them.

Love never fails."(NIV 13:4-8). It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Attempting to define it he wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind. Saint Paul glorified agape love as the most important virtue of all in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. Saint Augustine summarised this when he wrote "Love God, and do as thou wilt".

See The Gospel of Mark chapter 12, verses 28-34). Christians believe that to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and Love your neighbour as yourself are the two most important things in life (the greatest commandment of God, according to Jesus). Lewis, an influential Christian theologian, wrote a book called The Four Loves. C.S.

There are several Greek words for Love that are regularly referred to in Christian circles. The strongest motivation one has in order to take the path of the Bodhisattva is the idea of salvation within unselfish love for others. The Bodhisattva ideal in Tibetan Buddhism involves the complete renunciation of oneself in order to take on the burden of a suffering world. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.

This is quite different from the ordinary love, which is usually about attachment and sex, which rarely occur without self-interest. This love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. Advesa and maitrī are benevolent love. It is complementary to wisdom, and is necessary for enlightenment.

Karunā is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. It is an obstacle on the path to enlightenment, since it is selfish. In Buddhism, Kāma is sensuous, sexual love. Sayang is a word to express unconditional love, but also to express deep regret in losing something.

Jatuh cinta literally means falling in love: the initial action that triggers love. Cinta is a word that defines lust or love that involves physical attraction. In Indonesian and Malaysian linguistics perspective, love can be defined in several ways:. As it arises from a conflation with a Greek word, there is no corresponding verb.

This meaning, however, is not found in Classical pagan Roman literature. Caritas is used in Latin translations of the Christian Bible to mean 'charitable love'. Observare is a synonym for 'diligere'; despite the cognate with English, this verb and its corresponding noun 'observantia' often denote 'esteem' or 'affection'. The corresponding noun diligentia, however, has the meaning 'diligence' 'carefulness' and has little semantic overlap with the verb.

This word would be appropriate to describe the friendship of two men. Diligere often has the notion 'to be affectionate for', 'to esteem', and rarely if ever is used of romantic love. Complicating the picture somewhat, Latin sometimes uses amare where English would simply say to like; this notion, however, is much more generally expressed in Latin by placere or delectare, which are used more colloquially, and the latter of which is used frequently in the love poetry of Catullus. Ovid wrote a guide to dating called Ars Amatoria (The Art of Lovers), which addresses in depth everything from extramarital affairs to overprotective parents.

Cicero wrote a treatise called On Friendship (de Amicitia) which discusses the notion at some length. This same root also produces amicus, 'friend', and amicitia, 'friendship' (often based on mutual advantage, and corresponding sometimes more closely to 'indebtedness' or 'influence'). The corresponding noun is amor, which is also used in the plural form to indicate 'love affairs' or 'sexual adventures'. From this verb come amans, a lover, amator, 'professional lover', often with the accessory notion of lechery, and amica, 'girlfriend' in the English sense, often as well being applied euphemistically to a prostitute.

The Romans used it both in an affectionate sense, as well as in a Romantic or sexual sense. Amare is the basic word for to love, as it still is in Italian today. The Latin language has several different verbs corresponding to the English word 'love'. The importance of this can be seen throughout Greek mythology, in particular Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

The host fed and provided quarters for the guest, who was only expected to repay with gratitude. It was an almost ritualized friendship formed between a host and their guest, who could previously be strangers. Xenia (ξενία philoxenía), means hospitality in modern Greek, was an extremely important practice in ancient Greece. Storge (στοργή storgē) means affection in modern Greek; it is natural affection, like that felt by parents for offspring.

Philia is motivated by practical reasons; one or both of the parties benefit from the relationship. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. Philia (φιλία philía), means friendship in modern Greek, a dispassionate virtuous love, was a concept developed by Aristotle. Some translations list it as "love of the body".

Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth by eros. Eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty, and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth. 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. Plato refined his own definition.

The Greek word erota means in love. Eros (ἔρως érōs) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. It has also been translated as "love of the soul". However, there are some examples of agape used to mean the same as eros.

It generally refers to a "pure", ideal type of love rather than the physical attraction suggested by eros. The word agapo is the verb I love. The term s'agapo means I love you in Greek. Agape (ἀγάπη agápē) means love in modern day Greek.

At the same time the ancient Greek text of the Bible has examples of the verb agapo being used with the same meaning as phileo. However, with Greek as with many other languages, it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words totally. For example, ancient Greek has the words philia, eros, agape, storge and xenia. Greek distinguishes several different senses in which the word love is used.

Rather than using ai shiteiru (愛している) or koi shiteiru (恋している) to say "I love you", for example, most Japanese would say suki desu (好きです), which literally means "I like you" -- suki (好き) being the same word used to express preferences for food, music, etc., as in sushi ga suki desu (寿司が好きです), or "I like sushi." Rather than diluting the sentiment, however, the implied meaning of "love" is understood. In everyday conversation, however, ai (愛) and koi (恋) are rarely used. The word aijin (愛人) means "lover" and implies an illicit, often extra-marital relationship, whereas koibito (恋人) has the connotation of "boyfriend", "girlfriend", or "partner". There are of course exceptions.

"Parental love", for example, is oya no ai (親の愛), while "to be in love with" is koi suru (恋する). Generally speaking, most forms of non-romantic love are expressed using the former, while romantic love is expressed using the latter. Linguistically, the two most common words for love are ai （愛）and koi (恋). Some sociologists (most notably, Takeo Doi) have suggested that Japanese social interactions in later life are modeled on the mother-child amae.

Japanese mothers are expected to hug and indulge their children, and children are expected to reward their mothers by clinging and serving. Amae (甘え), a Japanese word meaning "indulgent dependence", is part of the child-rearing culture of Japan. It can develop towards either selfishness or selflessness and enlightenment. In Japanese Buddhism, ai (愛) is passionate caring love, and a fundamental desire.

Reports have appeared in Chinese newspapers and other media detailing the prevalence of the phenomenon and its perceived dangers to students and the fears of parents. The concept essentially indicates a prevalent belief in contemporary Chinese culture that due to the demands of their studies (especially true in the highly competitive educational system of China), youth should not form romantic attachments lest they jeopardize their chances for success in the future. Zaolian describes both relationships among a teenaged boyfriend and girlfriend, as well as the "crushes" of early adolescence or childhood. Zaolian (Simplified: 早恋, Traditional: 早戀, pinyin: zǎoliàn), literally, "early love," is a contemporary term in frequent use for romantic feelings or attachments among children or adolescents.

A similar conceptualization in English is, "They were made for each other," "fate," or "destiny". It is very similar to serendipity. A meaningful relationship is often conceived of as dependent strong yuanfen. Yuanfen (緣份) is a connection of bound destinies.

Emotional attachment toward another person or anything. A person will express love by building good gănqíng, accomplished through helping or working for another. Gănqíng (感情), the feeling of a relationship. Although Mozi's thought was influential, the Confucian lian is how most Chinese conceive of love.

Extravagance and offensive war are inimical to ai. Ai, in Mohism, is universal love towards all beings, not just towards friends or family, without regard to reciprocation. The Chinese philosopher Mozi developed the concept of ai (愛) in reaction to Confucian lian. Lian should be pursued by all human beings, and reflects a moral life.

In Confucianism, lian is a virtuous benevolent love. In contemporary Chinese language and culture, several terms or root words are used for the concept of "love":. After that time, the passion fades, changing love from consummate to companionate, or from romantic love to liking. According to current scientific understanding of love, this transition from the attraction to the attachment phase usually happens in about 30 months.

Likewise, when a person has known a loved one for a long time, they develop a deeper attachment to their partner. At the attraction stage the person concentrates their affection on a single mate and fidelity becomes important. So what starts as infatuation or empty love may well develop into one of the fuller types of love. However, as time passes, the other elements may grow and passion may shrink — this depends upon the individual.

Appearance, smells, and other similar factors play a decisive role in screening potential mates. The primary motivator at this stage is the basic sexual instinct. Generally love will start off in the lust phase, strong in passion but weak in the other elements. Helen Fisher suggests three main phases of love: lust, attraction, and attachment.

Relationships based on similar love styles were found to last longer. The Hendricks found men tend to be more ludic and manic, whereas women tend to be storgic and pragmatic. Lee identified six basic theories that people use in their interpersonal relationships:. Susan Hendrick and Clyde Hendrick developed a Loves Attitude Scale based on John Alan Lee's theory called Love styles.

Each of these elements can be present in a relationship, producing the following combinations:. In psychologist Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love, love is characterized by three elements: intimacy, passion and commitment. Companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiological arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate).

The traditional psychological view sees love as being a combination of companionate love and passionate love. Attachment between adults is presumed to work on the same principles that lead an infant to become attached to his or her mother or father. The conventional view in biology is that there are two major drives in love — sexual attraction and attachment. There are probably elements of truth in both views — certainly love is influenced by hormones (such as oxytocin) and pheromones, and how people think and behave in love is influenced by their conceptions of love.

Psychology sees love as more of a social and cultural phenomenon. Biological models of love tend to see it as a mammalian drive, just like hunger or thirst. Refer to Religious Views below. Some traditions encourage the development of passionate love in the believer for the deity.

Reciprocally, the followers may believe that the deity loves the followers and all of creation. This love can be expressed by prayer, service, good deeds, and personal sacrifice. Most religions use the term love to express the devotion the follower has to their deity, who may be a living guru or religious teacher. Religious 'love' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or acquiescence.

Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. If that desire reaches the point of being acted out, it may be considered unhealthy, and fall under the category of paraphilia. (ex: "I love cheese.") In some cases there may be an erotic component to such feeling of love. People can also 'love' material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding their identity with that item.

Similarly, compassionate outreach and volunteer workers' 'love' of their cause may be born not of interpersonal love, but impersonal love coupled with altruism and strong political convictions. A person can be said to love a country, principle, or goal if they value it greatly and are deeply committed to it. .
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Love is essentially an abstract concept, easier to experience than to explain. Different people place varying degrees of importance on the kinds of love they receive. Expressions of love may include the love for a soul or mind, the love of laws and organizations, love for a body, love for nature, love of food, love of money, love for learning, love of power, love of fame, love for the respect of others, etcetera. See the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

It is precisely these cultural differences that make any universal definition of love difficult, but not impossible, to establish. Love is inherent in all human cultures and thus may be seen as a defining trait of humanity, that is, love is a quality that makes one human. Or to put simply, love responds intentionally to promote well-being (Thomas Jay Oord). Love might best be defined as acting intentionally, in sympathetic response to others (including God), to promote overall well-being.

Probably due to its emotional primacy, love is one of the most common themes in art. In ordinary use, it usually refers to interpersonal love. It can describe an intense feeling of affection, an emotion or an emotional state. Love has several different meanings in every language, from something that gives a little pleasure ("I loved that meal") to something one would die for (patriotism, pairbonding).

Mihr — angel of love in Persian mythology. Raphael — Angel of love(agape) in Judeo-Christian theology. Haniel — Angel of Venus, and of eros, in Judeo-Christian theology. Xochipilli — god in Aztec mythology.

Venus — goddess of beauty and passionate love in Roman mythology. Rati — goddess of passionate love in Hindu mythology. Kama — god of sensual love in Hindu mythology. Ishtar — goddess of love and war in Babylonian mythology.

Inanna — goddess of love and war in Sumerian mythology. Freya — goddess in Norse mythology. Eros — god of passionate love in Greek mythology. Astarte — goddess of love in Canaanite mythogy.

Aphrodite — goddess of beauty and passionate love in Greek mythology. Aonghus or Aengus— god of beauty, youth, and sensual love in Irish mythology. Amor or Cupid — god of passionate love in Roman mythology. Áine — goddess of fertility and passionate love in Irish mythology.

Two other words for love in the Greek language -- Eros (sexual love) and storge (needy child-to parent love) were never used in the New Testament. Also known as "brotherly love". Phileo - Also used in the New Testament, Phileo is a human response to something that is found to be delightful. It is parental love seen as creating goodness in the world, it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another.

Agape - In the New Testament, agapē is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is contained in the word aiqing (愛情); qingren (情人) is a term for "lover". Qing (情), commonly meaning "feeling" or "emotion," often indicates "love" in several terms. Lian (戀) is not generally used alone, but instead as part of such terms as "being in love" (談戀愛, tan lian'ai—also containing ai), "lover" (戀人, lianren) or "homosexuality" (同性戀, tongxinglian).

Wo ai ni, "I love you") or as a noun, especially in aiqing (愛情), "love" or "romance." In mainland China since 1949, airen (愛人, originally "lover," or more literally, "love person") is the dominant word for "spouse" (with separate terms for "wife" and "husband" originally being de-emphasized); the word once had a negative connotation, which it retains among many on Taiwan. Ai (愛) is used as a verb (e.g. Agapē — selfless altruistic love; spiritual. Mania — highly emotional love; unstable; the stereotype of romantic love.

Pragma — pragmatic love. Storge — an affectionate love that slowly develops, based on similarity. Ludus — love is played as a game; love is playful. Eros — a passionate physical love based on physical appearance.

"Without expression," he warns, "even the greatest of loves can die" (1987, p.341). He stresses the importance of translating the components of love into action. Sternberg cautions that maintaining a consummate love may be even harder than achieving it. Consummate love is the most complete form of love, and it represents the ideal love relationship for which many people strive but which apparently few achieve.

Consummate love is the only type of love that includes all three components--intimacy, passion and commitment. This type of love can be exemplified by a whirlwind courtship and marriage in which a commitment is motivated largely by passion, without the stabilizing influence of intimacy. Fatuous love has the passion and the commitment components but not the intimacy component. This type of love is often found in marriages in which the passion has gone out of the relationship, but a deep affection and commitment remain.

Companionate love consists of intimacy and commitment. Romantic lovers are bonded emotionally (as in liking) and physically through passionate arousal. Romantic love is a combination of intimacy and passion. Empty love can also be seen in couples that are estranged but feel that they are bound by commitment.

In cultures in which arranged marriages are common, relationships often begin as empty love. Sometimes, a stronger love deteriorates into empty love, in which the commitment remains, but the intimacy and passion have died. Empty love consists of the commitment component without intimacy or passion. Infatuated love consists solely of passion and is often what is felt as "love at first sight." But without the intimacy and the commitment components of love, infatuated love may disappear suddenly.

Sternberg says that this intimate liking characterizes true friendships, in which a person feels a bondedness, a warmth, and a closeness with another but not intense passion or long-term commitment. In this case, liking is not used in a trivial sense. Liking includes only one of the love components - intimacy.