The Greeks had a word for it
Eros: romantic, passionate love
Philia: intimate, authentic friendship
Ludus: playful, flirtatious love
Storge: unconditional, familial love
Philautia: self-love Pragma: committed, companionate love
Pragma is love built on commitment, understanding and long-term best interests, like building a family. Over time, eros can turn into pragma as a couple grows to honor, respect, and cherish each other, accepting of differences and learning to compromise. It is everlasting love rooted in romantic feelings and companion.
Agápe: empathetic, universal love
Agápe is love for others that’s inclusive of a love for God, nature, strangers, or the less fortunate. It’s generally an empathetic love toward humanity itself and is sometimes connected to altruism since it involves caring for and loving others without expecting anything in return.
— Types of Love According to the Greeks & Understand It’s Meaning | Themindfool
The recent death of Matthew Mertz caused me to remember how the Greeks differentiated various feelings of affection. For Matt that would include philia and agape. At 66 he was far too young to go. A vital member of the Morning Sun Editorial Board he contributed on a continuing basis to the discussion. He was also an important factor in local Democratic politics. His many Letters to the Editor were lucid, pointed, and influential.
He lived in Mt. Pleasant at 1540 South Bamber Road for many years and was married to Nancy who predeceased him. Being bound to a wheelchair with failing eyesight did not hold him back. He would scoot around town to meet appointments, enjoyed the Farmers’ Market and loved life. He was also a delegate to the Democratic County and State Conventions, and won an election to constable of Union Township. Agápe, Matt. We shall miss you dearly.
He was not the only member of the Board to pass. Mindy Norton died on June 31, 2020, at age 57. She was an active member of the Morning Sun staff at the copy desk for 30 years. She was one of the most pleasant people I have ever met, with a cheery word for everyone. My wife and I considered her a friend of the family, so we add Philia and Storge to Agápe. We shall also miss her.
Louise Plachta, the widow of former CMU president Leonard Plachta, CMU alum and retiree, died February 2, 2018. According to Lisa Diaz Sytsema, “Louise was a woman of character and convictions. She always had a heart for the nontraditional students at CMU and spent a great deal of energy not only listening to their concerns but advocating on their behalf.”
It took Louise 17 years to earn her bachelor’s degree and six to obtain her master’s in literature and language while working full-time as a secretary for the Office of Student Affairs and what is now the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Administration. Boy, was she a Chippewa fan! Going out in weather where angels feared to tread without galoshes and parkas. She was an active member of the Editorial Board for many years. For several years she was a docent for the Art Reach Picture Program at Mary Maguire Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant. The kids loved her. Agápe, Louise.
The last 12 months have seen too many deaths. The over 500,000 COVID losses in the U.S. need not have been that high had not the prior administration bungled national efforts to confront it. Many were fine, descent folks who would have contributed greatly had they lived.
Dr. Ali Mokdad at the University of Washington summarized it this way: “Our grandchildren and future generations will look back at us and blame us for the biggest failure in facing a pandemic, in the country that’s the richest country in the world. That we allowed people to die, that we didn’t protect our vulnerable populations — Native American, Hispanic, and African American. That we did not protect our critical workers.”
This is true for the third among us who believe that COVID-19 is a hoax.