Sex & Love Part 12: Storge

Daughter of The Saint.

One of the natural results of both Venus and Eros is children. Offspring who we love in a different way.

This is what the Greeks called "Storge" love. It is family love and can be something extended beyond that also to one's neighbors.

Storge love is, in its own way even more grounded and natural a love than the ones with more passion. It is simple.

It's the sort of love that reaches out to others when disaster strikes. It's the sort of love that stays up all night with a sick child, or lets them curl up in your arms and cry because they are afraid or sick.

Storge love also exists within the family wounds.

It's where and why children keeping trying to meet or forgive their parents who have not done so very well. It's why those same parents call even though they might still get an earfull if they are not careful.

When Jesus talked about loving your neighbor, I think he may have been talking storge.

It's a simple love, but the one that maybe carries us along a lot more than we know.

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I know the names of the folks in the store across the street. It comes slowly. At first they are anonymous functionaries. The process you and vice-versa.

But in time you start to note their names. They also note you.

A couple of them are worried about me. I can tell. A few others judge me.

They see I drink too much. Thus the reactions.

But that too is storge love. Neighbor/family love.

I always treat them with the utmost of respect. I have learned their names. I look them in the eyes and ask them how they are. And I mean it. With one or two of them we have some private jokes.

One woman looks at me with concern. Someone in her family...her own circle of storge love...was destroyed by alcohol. She bears the wounds of it. I have seen it so often. This disease has ravaged millions. It's a killer.

I do not bear her any ill will for her looking at me the way she does.

In it's own way, it is storge love.

And my respect for her is, ironically, the same.

Storge.

It's love.

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Well this series is on love and sex. So how does Storge love figure in?

Well it is the backbone. It's the rareest of things because passion and lust (eros and venus) come easy. Friendship may also come alongside it some order if you have a common vision.

But Storge is where someome who is not your family becomes your family. If they are a neighbor it may be slight. If your Love, then they may become flesh of your flesh and you may learn, in time to watch her, and she you, like animals watch their own offspring. Always watching for a threat, always trying to provide for them.

I use to say that all I ever wanted was a woman who would gladly put her butt up against mine in a knife fight. Because life brings it on until we die. You need a woman, a mate like that.

It is rare to find that in a woman. I suppose it is rare to find a man who is utterly loyal to the death.

Funny that.