The Five Languages Of Harmony · 4:37am Jul 14th, 2014
While the Elements of Harmony were a valuable tool for many of us in evaluating and repairing our relationships, they also came as a surprise. Not many of us knew that the ways to make a relationship work could be quantified into such simple, easy-to-understand categories.
But a few of us might have, in a very different context.
In 1995, Christian author Gary Chapman released a book called The Five Love Languages. In it, he described the categories of expressions of love he had come to recognize while a marriage counselor for thirty years.
gifts
quality time
words of affection
acts of service
physical touch
Look familiar? When I heard my pastor describing these five in today's sermon, I nearly dropped out of my chair. I felt the same chills up and down my spine I had felt back in 2010 and 2011 when I realized just how powerful the Elements of Harmony were.
Gary Chapman independently discovered the Elements of Harmony here in our world, fifteen years before they would be rediscovered by Lauren Faust's writing team. It turns out that Generosity wasn't just a more fitting replacement for the important but non-relational ideal of Inspiration; it was a rediscovery of a deeper truth.
Chapman calls them the "languages of love" because they are the expressions of love we expect from other people, most especially family members and lovers. Receiving gifts, for example, is a way we can experience other people communicating their love to us. A hug from a parent, lover, or a close friend is a definite and clear expression of care.
Just as the Elements of Harmony were specialized into the terminology of Leadership at the end of Magical Mystery Cure, Chapman specialized them for the terminology of family relationships, and has written several books about them. In fact, one might as well slap the horse-faced cover of the Guide To The Elements from S1E1 onto his edition for children, and sell it next to the Journal of the Two Sisters.
If you've been trying to match them up and haven't placed all of them, here's how I see it:
Giving words of affirmation is a form of honesty that brings people closer.
Performing acts of service is an expression of loyalty that binds.
Spending quality time with someone is a way to feel joy and laughter together.
Sometimes, all you can do to show kindness to someone who is hurting is to stand close to them, give them a hug or hold their hand.
And giving gifts unasked and unexpectedly shows that love is generous.
Good values and good ideas. Ponies can, indeed, make the world a better place for us!