The Greek language has three different words for "love." Conventionally, the love people refer to as taking place
between two "lovers" is eros, or romantic, physical love. The second form, philia, is the love of friends.
The highest form of love is agape, the word Jesus is recorded as using when he spoke of loving
your enemies and when he told those who would follow him: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another" (John 13: 34-35).
Agape is different from both eros and philia in that it is a love that it is an overflowing,
selfless love that seeks nothing in return. The end of agape is not the well-being of the self, but the well-being
of the other. That is why agape in the nonviolent philosopies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
Both King and Gandhi based their respective movements for social justice on their faith in love's revolutionary
and redemptive power.
In a statement that demonstrates Gandhi's belief that love is powerful, not a mushy emotional category signifying
weakness, Gandhi said: "Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love," and elsewhere, "Where there
is love there is life."
Similarly, but in his own eloquent cadence, King said:: "Agape is understanding. It is creative and redeeming good-will
towards all men. It is the love of God operating in the human heart. It is the overthrowing love which seeks nothing in return.
And when your rise to love on this level you don't love people simply because they move you. You love those even that don't
like you. You love every man because God loves him, now, that's a powerful kind of love!"
