The Art of Loving-Erich Fromm

An advocate of promoting love as an art form rather than an emotion which one unwillingly falls into, Erich Fromm explains that in order to make the practice of the art of loving unblemished, there are certain essential requirements that one must practice as well. Fromm believes that only when these steps are followed can an art be successfully perfected, especially love.

The most important of these requisitions is what Fromm calls “...a supreme concern with the mastery of the art” (98). Without the sentiment that the practice of one’s art is profoundly significant, one will be unable to practice the art of loving with the three other necessary components of mastering any art, being patience, discipline, and concentration.

Indispensable to perfecting an art is the virtue of patience. Displaying an undaunting amount of time devoted to learning an art form and disposing of the n

otion of “...quick results...” (99) will help one to achieve an infinite understanding of the art. Even more essential, however, is the demonstration of a strict plan of discipline, not only in practicing the art, but in applying it to one’s life. A lack of discipline in mastering an art is often the cause of minimal comprehension and a diminished interest in that art, and in order to prevent this, one must invoke a sense of discipline for that art from within themselves rather than feeling it from an outside force. This marks a truly successful mastery of the art. Lastly but equally necessary is a focused concentration on that art which one is attempting to master. When distractions arise, they frequently become the cause of broken discipline and patience. “To be concentrated means to live fully in the present...” (103), and to avoid merely going through the motions of practicing an art. In this way, concentration is one of the most influential habits when practicing an art.

Some topics in this essay:
Sullivan Sullivan, Erich Fromm, Sigmund Freud, II Fromm, Accordingly Fromm, fatherly love, III Fromm, motherly love, motherly fatherly, practice art, motherly fatherly love, sexual satisfaction, contemporary society, practicing art, love motherly, overcome separateness, mastering art, adequate sexual satisfaction, fatherly love motherly, practice art loving, love motherly love,