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Love in Ancient Times
Defining Love in Ancient Civilizations

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The ancient Greeks and Romans seemed to have a very different outlook on love then we do in modern western civilization, specifically their views about who can be in love, or what is considered expectable behavior in popular culture. When looking for what it means to love in ancient Greece it is hard to find any information that does not have their beliefs on homosexuality. I’m not sure what love has to do with being heterosexual or homosexual, but I will try to explain love in ancient Greece despite this setback. Love is generally defined as devotion or great caring for an individual or a specific task or object. It can be have so many different meanings it is very difficult to narrow it down to one singular meaning. Love meens so many different things to so many different people. How do you avoid confusing it with infatuation or lust? Philosophers and psychologists both have attempted to define love, per least its difference from infatuation and lust. If you are looking to find love, the following observations may be helpful. Love is much more than a risk, but is a risk that one can take and grasp and fall into a dark abyss or dig oneself a hole and only crawl back when you overcome your emotions ( Krystal, C, 2010). How can one truly define what love is? Not even an experienced person can truly grasp or explain love to its truest and deepest meaning. Its concepts are just a never ending story of an open book of experiences. But love does lie in one's heart, where memories are but shadows lingering in your soul. Love is giving someone the power to break your

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