Weve made it private, contained it in family, when its audacity is in its potential to cross tribal lines. Weve fetishized it as romance, when its true measure is a quality of sustained, practical care. Weve lived it as a feeling, when it is a way of being. It is the elemental experience we all desire and seek, most of our days, to give and receive. The sliver of loves potential that the Greeks separated out as eros is where we load so much of our desire, center so much of our imagination about delight and despair, define so much of our sense of completion. There is the love the Greeks called filiathe love of friendship. There is the love they called agapelove as embodied compassion, expressions of kindness that might be given to a neighbor or a stranger. The Metta of the root Buddhist Pali tongue, lovingkindness, carries the nuance of benevolent, active interest in others known and unknown, and its cultivation begins with compassion towards oneself.
About This Quote
About Krista Tippett
Krista Tippett was American journalist, author, and entrepreneur. Krista Tippett is an American journalist, author, and public intellectual. Since 2003, she has served as creator and host of the Peabody Award winning program On Being. Read more on Wikipedia →
Themes
- Family — The ties of kinship, parenting, and unconditional love
- Friendship — Celebrating the bonds of loyalty, trust, and companionship
- Love — Quotes exploring romantic love, compassion, and human connection
- Truth — Meditations on honesty, authenticity, and the search for truth