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Affection: More Than a Hug and 3 Pats on the Back
10 Ways to Give and Receive Affection from another Ma
Jared Odle
April 25, 2023
🕳️ Hey, Friend. You’re Doin’ Great! 🕳️
“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of choice; but true friendship between man and man is infinite and immortal.”
The loaded term “Platonic Friendship” came into being in the 15th century. Mirriam-Webster summarizes it well for us.
This episode was recalled by the 15th-century Florentine theologian Marsilio Ficino, whose studies and translations of Plato's writings brought the philosopher's work to the forefront of Renaissance thought (a branch of what is termed Neoplatonism, in which Plato's teachings were modified by Aristotle and subsequent thinkers). In 1469 Ficino published his commentary on the Symposium, and in so doing coined the term amor platonicus, interpreting Plato's writings through a Christian lens. Ficino believed that the ladder's ultimate rung, the love for beauty itself, was made manifest through a love for God and that a true love between two individuals was drawn through a uniting of their souls.
In an age where homosexuality was not socially acceptable, men were free to express their feelings for other men without judgment. Western cultural’s shifts in sexual ethics and social norms which began in the 1960s combined with the effects of WWII on individuals, families, and the culture reduced the emotional freedom between men.
So, how can we genuinely express affection in healthy ways?
I’m offering 10 suggestions. Pick one and express your feelings for a friend today.
Send a letter, note, or email.
Send a book with a note about why you think they might like it. Kindle versions count!
Tell your friend something you’ve learned from them.
Surprise them with a gift.
Read a message they have forwarded to you, shared on FB, Twitter, etc., and send them a comment.
Make a date for coffee, lunch, dinner, drinks, golf, fishing, hunting, visiting a museum, or a guy’s weekend.
Road Trip!!!! Need I say more???
Give them a call.
Show up when they are going through a difficult time.
Offer to give them a break. Get creative, but think of ways to reduce their stress, such as watching their kids for a night, running an errand for them, or just listening.
That’s it for today. I’ll be in your inbox tomorrow and Friday.