Midterm Post 2. Andrew Wheeler Sec. 8

In the last post, I talked briefly about a friend’s responsibility to support and mutual respect, but I had not yet discussed the love between friends.

In the ancient Greek language, there are three words that mean love: agape, which means to create a value for a loved one, eros, which is a sexual meaning of love, and philia, which is the affectionate feeling towards friends and family. When one thinks of a “best friend” this feeling of love is sort of an understood concept whereas the word friendship refers to the relationship between the two people.

When using the Greek terms, one could get confused when the topic of a boyfriend/ girlfriend or spousal relationship is the topic. Both the word eros and philia could come in to play. Obviously in relationships such as this there is a sexual attraction, but there is also a “best friend” kind of mentality. As goes the plot of every romantic comedy ever in the history of ever.

The last post discussed the support and respect between friends, and I think that the combination of these two things is what makes the love show. Take for example say, Ash and Pikachu. They were very dependent on each other. Pikachu needed Ash for food and nourishment, and Ash needed Pikachu for companionship, to get him out of shit that he got himself into, and to have someone around that would be willing to say “Pika” all the time. Several other references are made to this type of relationship throughout pop culture. One that might not be thought of as “loving” would be between Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Their friendship stared on the basis of need. Will needed someone that could help him save Elizabeth( Jack was the only potential candidate) and Jack needed someone to get him out of jail where he would have quickly been hung. Throughout the first movie, Jack becomes more convinced of Will’s abilities, and Will realizes Jack actually is a good pirate( whatever that means). The list of examples could go on and on.

The love between friends is not often stated until times of distress, but it is always apparent. If a friend is going into the military, you might not have ever expressed in words that you love him or her, but when you stick up for someone it is a representation of love. Any time a person undergoes hardships in their life, it is the love from their friends that pulls them through. This goes back to the “ the whole is more than the sum of its parts” quote. Imagine what you would rate your own self worth if you took out the love of your friends.