The unity we seek - unity with another person - can only be accomplished through the work of love.įromm's elegant and challenging description of love, however, is not without the flaws of his time and place. Each in turn emulates some, but not all, of love - love is interpersonal, permanent and truly unitive.
No longer united with God, or under the safe blanket parental love provides, human attention strays to focus on work, sensory pleasure or conforming with the broader culture. Learning about and practicing love, Fromm says, ought stand at the center of our lives.Įxercising this skill is not only virtuous it is key to resolving the "anxiety of separation" that lies at the heart of our lives.
Love is a skill set human beings develop and use through their own will, not a prize won by gaining someone else's affection and trust. Published in 1956, Fromm's The Art of Loving describes love - for our neighbor, for our partner, and for God - as an activity, requiring study, practice and intent. Love is not a thing that happens to us, psychologist Erich Fromm argues, it is a thing we do.
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