Makes sense to me. Love is a collection of feelings you have about a person, that makes you care about them and wish them well.
For them to be your friend, though, they have to be willing not to stab you in the eye on sight.
Going thru a divorce. I love my sometime soon to be ex, but she is no longer my friend. She hasn’t been my friend for a while, and that’s part of our issues.
Another vote for “that makes sense”. As Ambivalid said, it’s hard to understand unless you have lived through it. I still remember all the reasons that caused me to marry my ex wife. I still remember all of the good times. It just got to the point that the bad times started to out number the good and it just kept going down hill. I never wanted to see her suffer and we both figured out that we were better off divorcing. That decision took some years to sink in, but either way, it did and we could be friendly with each other.
So, to employ the Greek terms, “philadelphia” as opposed to “eros”? That makes sense to me. English should take a hint from Greek and have different words for the various forms of love. I love my wife, I love my kids, I love my mom and sisters, I love cheesecake. All true statements, but each very different!
The Greek term you may be looking for is philia (from which we do get Philadelphia, or “city of brotherly love”).
The Greek term agape may also be appropriate here, as it’s unconditional love, like the love that a parent has for their child (and, apparently, a spouse). Thomas Aquinas called this sort “to will the good of another.”
Describes my relationship with my ex wife to a tee. She’s the mother of my daughter, but I sure as hell would never want to live with her again.
I think the statement makes perfect sense. Context defines how. Several versions upthread offer reasonable explanations; another would be:
“I still love my ex” = exactly that. Shared experiences, passion, sexual attraction (not necessarily in that order) mean that there is an undeniable pull toward a person.
“She is not my friend” = the bitch LEFT me!!! How could she sever our relationship when I loved her so? I’m too damn angry to be her friend!