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Caring for others - by Henrik Karlsson - Escaping Flatland

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At Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen, I see a passport fall out of the back pocket of a man and immediately (at least) three strangers call out. Isn’t that moving? Imagine what this scene would have looked like if, instead of humans, the departure lounge had been filled with 300 chimpanzees: arms ripped off, babies getting eaten. Human beings get a lot of bad press, but we’ve come a long way. In Ancient Greece, philosophers made a distinction between three types of love: eros, philia, and agape. Eros, you know what that is. Philia is the love you have for friends and family. Agape is what I feel at the airport: my heart flutters at the thought of everyone, how wonderful it is that we’re all here. Perhaps I’m feeling this expansive because I am going to see my grandfather, for what I suspect will be the last time, so I’m alive to the fragility of it all. When I get lost in thought, writing, and almost miss my flight, I have to run past the queue at the security check-in, saying, “Sorry! … s

Caring for others Henrik Karlsson Jun 09, 2025 ∙ Paid 115 14 10 Share Egon Schiele This post is for paid subscribers Subscribe Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

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