Love is an abstract concept that is not grounded within a concrete definition. The general consensus based on dictionaries define it as “a feeling of affection that by an individual or more.” At this point, one would stop here and conclude that that is what love is, just a feeling. However, this only defines love, but does not describe it. Many cultures throughout the world have many different views on what they believe love to be, and there are many types of love in and of itself.
When most people think of love, they often picture a romantic love between two people, or familial love with parents and children. Those types of love are the most commonly depicted, however love is much more broad and many types of love exist. According to Ancient Greeks. there are seven loves, which are: the love of between friends (philia), universal love (agape). uncommitted love (ludus), practical love based on duty (pragma), self-love (philautia), and the two loves mentioned above, romantic love (eros) and familial love (storge). Most countries view love based upon two or more of these seven types of loves.
Most commonly seen in American culture is eros, the romantic type of love. Common examples of eros can be seen through American pop-culture and literature where there are romantic relationships between two or more people. This is relatively recent, as expression has changed drastically over the years, leading to romantic love being more commonly depicted. On the other hand, Asian countries such as Japan, China and India practice pragma, practical love based on duty or for the greater good. Pragma is most commonly seen in arranged marriage. In this scenario, romantic love is set aside for opportunity and goals, this is done to bring together families or countries for the greater good.
To expand on the reasons countries view love differently, look no further than to the cultural aspects in countries. Culture has influences on love, physically and mentally. In the short story Marriage is a Private Affair by Chinua Achebe, the central conflict of the story is due to marriage. The cultural aspect in the book is shown through the father of the main character, which details the prerequisites to marriage but puts less emphasis on romantic love. This is a case of pragma, where the father believes marriage to a women he had chosen would benefit them both. This story, based in Africa, shows that the country that they are in prioritizes pragma or classic romantic love. The fact that the father goes out of his way to arrange marriage also reveals that storge plays a major part in love and marriage.
To summarize, love can be divided into seven distinct groups, some countries practice different types of love than others, and the reason due to this is cultural. What all of this entails is that love is a broad spectrum, and is an umbrella term that is very situational. Love can be obvious with romantic couples, or can be spiritual with universal love and love of deities. In the end, love is would appear differently to individuals based on how, where, and the when they experience it.
