According to Wikipedia, there are 6 words for love in the Greek language. Each of them deserves to be looked at as we, that being western authors, often find our perceptions of love colored by the different categories outlined by these six words.

Part 5: Philautia

This kind of love is discussed very rarely, from what I can tell, in modern fiction. Usually modern fiction is all about the hero versus the world and the loves that come from that, i.e. Agape, Eros, or Philia. However, just like the very scarcely discussed “Storge” we looked at yesterday, Philautia is a vital component of love.

“GET ON WITH IT.” I here you crying, alright, I will. Philautia is self-love. Mental health is a parallel you could draw to modern fiction. Much fiction today has their characters struggle with their mental health but it is rarely viewed as a form of love. Vin in Mistborn, is an example of a modern character who struggles with her self-image and mental health. Over the course of the series this is a roadblock, but it is also an eventual moment of triumph for the character. In the Bible we are taught that too much love of the self is a bad thing. In fact any love of the flesh is sin, according to the Bible, however we are also reminded that we are children of the Father who creates us with dignity, love, and respect, and it’s through Him we can learn to love the right parts of ourselves.

How does your character struggle with mental health, do they? Or is that part of their character? Maybe your character is so well put together mentally their mission in life is to help others figure out how to love themselves. Lets talk about it in the comments below or mention me with a post over on X @ABTimothyAuthor