Project AGAPE NETWORK

I feel at home on the border between religion, secularization and humanism. It was from this border that I approached the meaning of agape in the Biblical gospels and presented my findings in the book Mijn evangelie (My Gospel). After the publication of this book, I came up with the idea of ​​the Agape network. I wanted to set up this project from the Vrije Gemeente Amsterdam, but this turned out not to be possible. Perhaps the plan can be realized elsewhere. This is the synopsis.

 

Agape as a concept

The Greek word agape is translated into English as love, but this refers to one specific form of love.

The ancient Greeks distinguished four forms of love: eros (love with sexual desire), storge (love in the family), philia (loving friends) and agape (unconditional love for all).

Agape means more than good will and is also more than social skills, friendliness and tolerance. Agape is all of this together, from the realization of the connectedness between people in creating the world in which they live.

 

Agape expressions

The Agape Network project wants to focus on agape in practice. To describe its objectives, specific terms are used here: the agape principle, the agape path and the agape meaning.

In contacts with others, we consciously or unconsciously show ‘together behavior’ or ‘opposed behavior’. The agape principle is a conscious choice for the ‘together behavior’ in our relationships with everyone, also with those people we experience as opponents.

The agape path is the consistent application of the agape principle in practice.

Agape meaning is a worldview paradigm to which various approaches can be applied, such as a humanistic, spiritual, religious, transpersonal or personal approach. This existential meaning serves as support for the motivation to enter the agape path and to continue following it.

 

Let’s imagine

Let’s imagine that the agape principle becomes the norm in human relationships. From a young age, everyone learns to deal with others based on this principle and see examples of it everywhere around them. Then more and more people apply the agape principle in their relationships, starting with family members and friends, then in increasingly difficult situations, such as when dealing with neighbors, colleagues, people on the street, civil servants, authorities, rivals, competitors, people with different opinions, people with different beliefs, and finally also in contact with all kinds of unfriendly, unsympathetic, unreasonable and egoistic types… What would the world look like then?

 

Is this a dream? Or yet another utopia?

However utopian it may sound, the use of the agape principle in interpersonal relationships is an achievable goal if one knows or discovers how it is possible. Fighting evil with evil does not diminish the evil. It only adds another link to the chain reaction of evil.

The Agape Network is based on the belief that every expression of agape produces a ‘butterfly effect’. Meteorologist Edward Lorenz stated that a butterfly in Brazil can cause a tornado in Texas. Similarly, a person’s behavior rooted in the agape principle can set a chain reaction in motion – especially in the case of conflict.

The atmosphere is sensitive to small disturbances, and so is our social climate. In environments where selfish goals and aggressive ways of pursuing one’s own interests are common, every application of the agape principle could be a wonderful disturbance. The Agape Network could bring together people who share this idea.

 

Christian agape

As is well known, the word agape was not used much by the ancient Greeks. This term came into European culture mainly through the Christian gospels, which were written in Koine, a form of ancient Greek. Here, the word agape is always used in Jesus’ statements about love.

Jesus’ call to love your enemy also revolves around agape. If this were the command to ‘develop a spontaneous feeling of love for your assailant’, it would sound like madness. But what if it really means to stay on your agape path, even when you confront your enemy? It is not that crazy to want to see less aggression and violence in society. It is, however, a level of agape that not everyone is ready to achieve.

High ideals are rarely achieved, but practical goals within your personal possibilities and close to home are easily achievable. From the perspective behind the design of this project, it would be good if people followed the agape path to the best of their ability, and every new step on this path counts, both for the ‘agape path follower’ and for society.

 

The spirit of the times

Every era offers its own possibilities for living according to the agape principle. In our time, kindred spirits can easily find each other thanks to the internet and there are no obstacles preventing people with different ethnic, religious or philosophical backgrounds from working together on the goals of agape.

Intercultural openness and the accessibility of cultural heritage are also typical of the spirit of the times. The quest for existential meaning based on agape can be found in various expressions and under various names also outside of Christianity. For example, Buddhism also has methods with which non-Buddhists can strengthen their agape skills. Insights and practical resources from other traditions could be just as useful. Moreover, there are relevant tools from psychology and psychotherapy that can help one stay on the agape path in as many life situations as possible.

 

Everyone can develop agape skills within themselves

The project assumes that in personal and social confrontations many people want to engage in more ‘together behavior’ (which is the core of the agape principle), but they do not know how to do this. They may doubt that this attitude works or they may not grasp the deeper meaning that can motivate them. The project could start with a website where one can find information and practical examples on how to deal with these obstacles, as agape mainly requires a certain awareness and skills that everyone can develop.

Many people are used to learning the necessary skills first in a safe place and only then using them in practice. The website of the Agape Network would provide information on where you can find supporting workshops and training to better prepare yourself for the agape path.

From the perspective of this project, the agape path itself can be the school that teaches you to apply the agape principle in all kinds of situations. In this way, you become aware of what you cannot do or what is not easy for you, so that you can choose more effective workshops and training to learn what you need on the agape path. This is how we learn to walk in our first year of life. Each child must find a way to put his feet on the ground and keep his balance. Caregivers and structures can only support and facilitate this process.

 

Some characteristics of the individual ‘agape path’ from the perspective of this project:

  • a path to follow at one’s own pace and according to personal possibilities;
  • can be part of the personal growth process;
  • not connected to one particular religious or spiritual tradition;
  • easy to integrate into any personal credo or philosophy of life that appreciates ​​spiritual values;
  • free choice of personal perspectives and approaches to existential meaning based on agape.

 

Agape groups

It is expected that many on the agape path will feel a need to meet kindred spirits. The Agape Network website will share information about existing groups and also offer manuals and other material for starting your own group. In this way, a network of various groups for work, learning, discussion etc. can be created, which could connect with each other for larger agape projects if desired.

The project could also start with specific Agape work groups, in which volunteer work for good causes and personal growth on the agape path go hand in hand. Joining a small-scale social project and learning to apply the agape principle in practice together with kindred spirits can be a way to start on the agape path. This is also a great opportunity to exchange experiences with others and, if desired, to work out certain alternative behavior patterns together. This approach could be attractive to people who are used to dealing creatively with the challenges of daily life and would like to deal with the challenges of the agape path in the same way.

 

Collaboration

Given the Christian undertone of the term ‘agape’, this project can be set up as a collaboration of organizations with a Christian and para-Christian background. It would be even better if a collaboration of organizations with different backgrounds were created. These organizations could develop their own approach to the agape paradigm of finding meaning in life and set up their own activities based on the agape principle.

Each participating organization could initiate its own specific Agape work groups (as proposed above) based on its own approach to the agape paradigm of finding meaning. For example, groups with a specifically humanistic, cultural Christian, Buddhist, liberal Islamic, interreligious, or other perspective could be created. If several partners are willing to create their own specific Agape working groups at the same time, this could give the project a powerful start.

These first groups with various approaches to finding the most universal form of meaning through agape could have an investigative character. For example, they could concern themselves with the question of what is needed to be able to use the agape principle from a certain philosophical perspective in confrontations with daily life. What are the difficulties and obstacles and how could one deal with them? What support would be useful in this regard? For example, they could offer specific workshops or training, expert advice, collaborations, further work on certain themes within personal growth, etc. Each group could draw up a manual or points of attention for future initiators of an agape group with that specific approach.

The partnership therefore offers various possibilities for, for example, joint fundraising and work on charities based on the agape principle.

 

In conclusion: here are the most important work objectives of the Agape Network project

  • Establishing the website ‘Agape Network’ with, among other things, information about the activities, publications on relevant topics and a forum for the exchange of experiences with the application of the agape principle in practice.
  • Developing courses to support the application of the agape principle in practice, including agape communication workshops.
  • Partnership of agape working groups with different backgrounds.