by Aurora
“Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi’s life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love.”
—Anakin Skywalker
Anakin fell to the dark side through fear of loss. Yoda reminds him that attachment leads to jealousy. “The shadow of greed that is”. Buddhism teaches us that the root of suffering is attachment.[1]
Love itself however is a broad term for which the ancient Greeks had many specific names. There is eros (erotic love), philia (affectionate love), storge (familiar love), ludus (playful love), mania (obsessive love), pragma (enduring love), xenia (hospitality), philautia (self love), and agape (selfless love).[2] The type of love for all living things that Jedi are encouraged to practice is agape or “selfless love”.
Our feelings for others often start with the feelings for ourselves. So begin with self-love then remove the self and just Love.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up%C4%81d%C4%81na
[2] https://lonerwolf.com/different-types-of-love/
