The seven days of love: philia

the seven days of love:  philia.  Friendship.

You become a friend to many when you have a strong love for God and a healthy love of self. It releases you to love your fellow human beings with ease, comfort, and compassion. The seven days of love: philia encompasses brotherly, emotional, and affectionate love. A shared good will. That of friendship.

What is friendship?

Wikipedia defines friendship as being “a relationship of mutual affection between people.” It further states that friendship is a “stronger interpersonal bond than an association.” It is a tender, heartfelt consideration and kinship. To be a friend and to have a friend is more than mere acknowledgement of the existence of others, there is a connection.

A friend holds traits such as honesty, integrity, care, respect, loyalty, generosity, forgiveness, understanding, sympathy, kindness, love, empathy, and virtue; to name a few. Similar interests, mutual respect, and attachment to another create the foundation to a true friendship.

What is True Friendship?

Friends.com takes the stance that “when someone knows you better than you know yourself and they always take a position in your best interest in a crisis, they are a true friend.” A soul mate is someone who genuinely cares about your welfare and will always be there when you need them.

there are three main types of friendship

  1. Utility – This is also considered, useful. This is the relationship in which you get something out of it.
  2. Pleasurable – In this instance, you get pleasure out of the connection.
  3. Virtue – The one where it is about true friendship and no one is focused on what they are getting out of it.

how do we build healthy relationships?

  • Get out and meet people
  • Build trust – share your experiences and tell your stories. Trust that no one is going to judge you and talk about you in a negative way. Reciprocate that.
  • Be truthful
  • Give and take
  • Set healthy boundaries
  • Have empathy and compassion

conclusion

Aristotle once said, “A friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” That is the best explanation I have heard of what a soul mate really is. It is not to say that each person is not their own being. Just that they have the deepest connection two humans can have on this earth. Philia is a very significant aspect of marriage and other long-term relationships. If you are friends first, your bond is so much stronger.