The idea that love can last forever, through good times and bad, seems to many people like archaic idealistic nonsense.
It’s not surprising given the track record of the past forty years and the influence of media messages that disregard marriage and lifelong commitment. The very concept of love has been bent and stretched to the point where it is almost unrecognizable in Western culture, where popular notions of love are laden with emotion and sexuality. As long as the emotions are positive and physical intimacy is rewarding, we say the relationship is working well. As soon as they are not, we say the relationship isn’t working out, and therefore no longer worth investing in, or pursuing.
Aspects of Love Present in Healthy Relationships
The ancient Greeks believed that human love fell into one of four categories—Eros, Storge (stor-gay), Philia, and Agape. In his book The Four Loves, C.S Lewis refines these ideas for contemporary western society.
