Φιλία καὶ Ἀγάπη

Φιλία: the simple tier of relationships. Mutual comfort, shared and stable ground. "I enjoy doing X, as do you, so let's do X together." Our friendship extends only to mutual comfort as it relates to X, so full attention is not needed. This is most friendships.

Ἀγάπη: The highest tier of relationships. Pure, unfiltered attention through inner collapse. "You are a human, just as I, so let me see and hold your struggle, pain, and love with your full humanity in tact." Most cannot achieve this.

The struggle between mutuality (Φιλία) and attention (Ἀγάπη): pure attention, that is to say pure love, refuses dehumanization. Mutuality, at its core, dehumanizes through compartmentalizing. Mutuality cannot bear the weight of the full humanity of the other.

"I am fully present for you as a human, but only in this context": impossible. "I am fully present for you as a human, across every context": possible. Full presence is not divisible.

Beauty: each individual part perfect which creates a perfect sum. Humans are animals, yet within them a beautiful humanity. Love, grief, anger, yearning: the human condition.

How could I ever divide something so beautiful?

Yet how lonely that others are able to receive my love, that they do feel and cherish, but never return it.

My love for humans is my cross to bear.