The Art of Loving

CHAPTER 1

      What is love? Is it possible to explain a feeling? How is love related to beauty or success? These and more questions are arisen by Eric Fromm in the first chapter of "The Art of Loving".

      

      The first issue to be discussed is related to lovability or as the dictionary defines it: "Attracting or deserving affection". According to Fromm, the two elements that humans believe they need to deserve this are, being successful and being attractive.

      

      To continue,  Fromm makes a distinction between the problem of love as an object or as a faculty. A love that is spontaneous and then may lead to marriage? or a love that grows after two persons are forced to get married? A twentieth century love? or a Victorian love? This dichotomy leads to a question: Is love related to materialism? Can love be compared to the need of buying what we see in a window shop?

      

      In the last part, Fromm states that the difficult part is not to fall in love, which is relatively easy. It is to stand in love, to be able to live through routine and boredom. It is exactly at that stage when we have to understand love as an art, and to be able to master both practice and theory.

      

      An interesting thought provoking chapter that leaves us wanting more with an intriguing question. Is it only worthy to be learned those things that provide prestige and money?