Platonic Love Matters Just As Much As Romantic

As Valentine’s Day approaches, people begin to focus on their romantic relationships; what gifts to buy their partner, how to make them happier, and so on. In general, people would say that, in their life, romantic love is the most important love of them all; which makes sense since those people you’re in a relationship with are the ones who you live with, grow with, and make a family with. However, as special as having a day dedicated to love is, it should also serve as a reminder to people that there are, in fact, many different types of love beyond the romantic feelings you might have for another person.

In order to help us understand “love” in a broader sense, it is helpful to turn to the Ancient Greeks. They did not simply talk about “love” as a unifed concept, but created distinct categories of love which they called: Eros, Philla, Storge, and Agape. For the Greeks, Eros meant romantic love, Philla represented platonic love, Storge, parental love, and Agape, love for mankind. They argued that for a per-

Julia Xia staff writer

son to feel truly happy, they ideally should have all four types of love in their life. However, on Valentine’s Day, we really hear the most about two types: Eros and Philla. Philla and Storge love often comes second, after Eros. This is the kind of love you have for your friends, classmates, family, and pets. While Valentine’s Day doesn’t focus on these types of love, it’s still very important to appreciate them. Creating platonic (non-romantic) bonds with the people around you can have a huge impact on you emotionally, physically, and socially; it teaches you to care for and treat another person.

In addition, platonic relationships, such as a friendship, offer you a support system that helps lessen depression and anxiety. When a romantic relationship is brand new, it’s understandable to want to spend all your time with them and learn everything you can about them. This phase is called the ‘honeymoon’ phase, where the only thing on their mind is their partner and it’s very easy to get wrapped up in it. During this phase it makes it easier to black out any potential problems in the relationship and this rush of feelings can be mistaken for love when in reality it’s only just the thrill of a new relationship. When this happens, it can result in someone choosing to prioritize their romantic relationship over their platonic ones, and sometimes end up abandoning their friends altogether. This can strain the relation- ships they have with their friends, sometimes to the point of no return.

To stop this from happening, it’s important to remember that your friends are just as important as your partner and for a relationship to work you have to make time for both.