On Thursday, February 14, 2019, Saint Valentine's Day, the lecture entitled ‘The Universality of Love’ took place at the IANOS Culture Chain, with Giorgos Diplas* as speaker. For this topic, so timely and so universal, there was a great turnout of attendees, who were all very eager to listen carefully to what the speaker had to share with them.

The presentation commenced in a very beautiful and original way; A pair of dancers had been invited to perform an erotic, modern tango that was really enjoyable!

Giorgos Diplas then began his speech by clarifying that love affects all living and non-living organisms in an uninterrupted flow of "meeting" and "conversation". But he focused on human erotic feelings, thus confining the presentation to a people-centered perspective.

But he explained that if love is experienced as a delightful and transcendent experience, this does not mean that it marks a lasting or unchangeable position. A wider look reveals that all aspects of life are essentially a process of love towards existence, interaction and growth, and he closed his speech by paraphrasing Gabriel Marcel's very meaningful aphorism: "My hope for us is based on the success of our encounter with each other". We should add that success presupposes an ongoing preoccupation and caring for this encounter.

As expected, the participation of the attendees was lively, as witnessed not only in the questions many people had but also in their willingness to share their views and experiences with the rest of the audience.

*Giorgos Diplas, P.g.D. in PCA Counseling, Gestalt Trainer, Therapist & Supervisor, member of EAGT and the Hellenic Association of Counsellors (HAC), ECP holder, Member of  the Hellenic Association of Gestalt Therapists (HAGT).