I research a lot about Elif Shafak Love Views. Below, I summarize my quick answer;
We can’t put a lot of feelings associated with love under the same umbrella of love. The six words from Greek doesn’t have enough to explain Love. More words allow thinking more finely and understanding better about it. Never resist the change that comes through Love. Love has the sharpest eye to observe things or people. God exist inside a true lover’s heart. It gives more than receiving.
Fewer love words:
In this world, we do have not enough words to explain love. We compared coffee according to the coffee types.
There are a lot of books, movies and songs about love.
Love word usage:
Elif Shafak wants to take a closer look at the word Love. It’s not about the origin of the word but the use of the world in society today. Read Is “Forty rules of love” worth reading?
Desire or irrationality:
The Indo European word love means to care or desire. The eastern word for love is Majnun. It means someone so much in love that he lost his mind, go crazy. They can’t think rational any more. It’s from the story of Laila and Majnun.
Giving then receiving:
She refers to Erick Fromm as a social psychologist. He says that we spend a lot of energy falling in love than standing in love. It’s not a passive but an active thing.
It’s about putting thought and care into it. That’s more about giving than about taking. You care more than you receive.
Self-transformation over self possessions:
The possessive love has the emphasis of being mine. The other person becomes a possession.
No love appears without freedom and equality. It transforms us.
We should be ready to get change through love.
Love transforms:
She writes her first book 40 Rules of Love. She explains the love between Shams and Rumi.
The Love between shams and Rumi is fire and water. They teach and transforms each other. We don’t have enough words to come together about Love.
Two Turkish love words:
The two words Savgi and ask are for Love in the Turkish language.
“Savgi” is the love of family, countrymen and friends. It’s a calmer form of love.
Ask is a passionate type of Love for falling in love.
The two words aren’t enough to explain Love.
6 Greek love words:
The greeks have 6 Words to explain Love. She refers to each greek love type separately.
Philautia is for self-love.
It can be negative or positive type self-love. It’s about narcissist type or compassionate self-love.
Eros associates desire, passion or physical attraction with another person.
Philia associates through the brotherhood or friendship bond. It comes through passing the journey together.
Ludus is a bit playful. It associates with the early stage of the affair.
Agape is a selfless type of Love. You feel compassion associated with your fellow human being.
It’s not about knowing someone or having a blood connection. It associates with giving.
Pragma love is associated with the long-lasting love type. It’s about a long marriage or friendship relationship.
There is understanding, mutual respect happening.
Experience over-explained:
No one can explain his Love to another.
We can experience it ourselves.
The proper explanation is not possible. We tune ourselves towards that destiny.
Pain perfects Love:
The pain you receive for love perfects it. It’s like creating strength in the clay through intense heating. The desired change appears through painful experiences.
Love yields heartache:
The presence of love conforms through heartache. The unhappiness or suffering boost Love for its destiny.
The broken heart is the source of treasure.
Love has haters:
The expression of truth and love attracts haters. Those haters develop resistance to love. The love is enough to encounter that situation.
Open heart for Love:
Allow yourself to open your heart to find the path. Make your heart the primal source for guidance. It makes you alive for a living.
Love experiences heaven:
Elf Shafak explains that true Love yields your experience of heaven. On the other hand, negative emotions like hate, envy, fighting put us in hell. It gives hate sense.
Fire loves water:
Elif Shafak associates love with passion or fire.
Love is the water flow. The universe acts differently about Love.
Purify the heart:
The purification of the body comes through fasting. The heart purifies through Love.
Love changes:
The seeker of love changes eventually. The moment you looking for love is your will to transform from the internal and external way.
Faith demands inner softness:
The faith becomes Stronger as you become softer from the inside. The Softest heart yields the Strongest faith.
God inside a True lover’s heart:
Elif Shafak explains that God doesn’t limit any religious place.
If you’re looking for the God existence place, God exists inside the heart of a true lover. You can find God in everything or person of the universe.
The Entire Love free from entitlement:
You require to move beyond the entitlement of Good and Bad. Loving both Good and Bad Together moves us beyond the description. You accept love with entire way.
Language becomes an obstacle:
The language becomes the obstacle to explaining the love. It only grasps through the silence. Never take words with value.
Words hinder the expression of love.
Every author loves a Story:
There is a love between the author and Story. That love establishes later between readers and the story.
It connects the love beyond the culture, languages and cities.
God loves as you love:
Your connection with God is the way you feel. The compassion and love you feel inside make God compassionate and loving for you. The blame and fear of your mind yield the God that fears and blame.
Love demands discovery:
Love exists in all of us. It comes with us as we are born.
It comes to life as we discover it.
Appreciated fully:
Love appreciate its fullness. Even a spot of Love isn’t appreciated. Your Love is water flow.
God Lovers have patient:
The true lover of God has patient. They know about the right time for getting the right thing. It develops their farsightedness to observe the process result.