EROS

In this chapter of "The Four Loves," Lewis illustrates the difference between what he calls Eros and Venus.  Eros is the "state which we call 'being in love,'" or "the kind of love which lovers are 'in.'"  Venus, on the other hand, is sexual love--the part of the soul that solely desires a physical connection.  While reading this, I thought about Eros as it exists in today's society, and how underplayed it is.  We live in a Venus-driven world.  Everything is about sex, but there is barely any emphasis placed on true, deep love.  People in this day are more interested in the "idea" of love rather than true love itself.  They often jump from pond to pond, but never fully dive into a commitment.  I think one of the main causes of divorce is the fact that more importance is placed on the Venus aspect than true Eros.  Because of this, couples launch into a commitment prematurely simply because of sex.  Then, when the initial excitement is over, they become bored because they never experienced Eros.

If a man is experiencing Eros, he isn't paying attention to the fact that she is a woman, but is more interested in her personality than her body.  It's very romantic to think that this kind of love still exists, especially when our society is so controlled by Venus rather than Eros.