PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION
The I-Thou Relationship
MARTIN BUBER CLAN 2007, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary
Last October 2, the Martin Buber Clan gathered for the First Philosophical Discussion at the Audio-Visual Room at nine in the evening. Everyone beforehand surfed the Internet and read some books. By the time we were at the Audio-Visual Room we only have to share our thoughts and what we have read.
Most of us complain that Philosophy is a pain in the head—which sometimes truly is. If we read closely, we may say that what makes philosophy a little hard to bear are the complex jumble of words and the alien diction. In this article, we would continuously coin the word I and Thou, or I and You. For a moment, we would come to think that nothing seemed so significant and even interesting about these commonly used terms and would seem not to worth the trouble. However, for a moment, let us reconsider. Probably when we will speak of "I" or "Thou" you would think of it as something other than its true meaning—which happens. When we will coin these words as noun, it is to think of I as yourself and Thou as others. We are to surf around it with enjoyment just as philosophy should truly be treated.
The Buberian Thought
Man cannot be a true "I" without the "thou".
The "I-thou" is not simply an affirmation of the obvious fact that no man lives alone, that I am always involved with someone, and that there can never be ONE MAN in a world that encompasses humanity, the human race, and the world with others. The "I-Thou" connection presents that I am part of someone—a lover, a family, a clan. Like a ripple, my action affects the rest around me.
We were conceived within our mothers, learned things from our family, guardians, and teachers. We are molded in an environment surrounded by many men and women. We are products of the influences of the people surrounding us. No one can really be alone. If someone says that he is alone and that he needs nobody, we can probably proclaim he or she is a great liar. No one can just THINK that he lives alone. It is not only impossible and foolish, but an arrogant presumption.
I must learn to appreciate others' involvement in my life. I must learn to be responsible and compassionate, understanding and loving, open-minded and aware. We might have never thought who could be responsible for cleaning the plaza after a busy market day, not knowing that before dawn a number of metro aids swept the grounds. They contribute to the gratifying feeling of living in a clean environment. We may also wonder why we suffer so much poverty, when ironically, our country is rich in resources. Again, someone behind the scene gives a contribution. We all act and contribute something; we are always involved with each other—implicitly or explicitly, consciously or unconsciously.
It must be emphasized that whether our brothers' contribution is good or bad, we do not lose our own power to contribute. I have the POWER. I can do something. I can always make a great difference. Once we appreciate the involvement of others in our life, we begin to see the responsibility we have to make the world a better place to live in.
"The man who thought that the world is for them alone will lose it. The pride they treasure are but shadows to their disgraced grave."
Returning a little at the beginning, we must realize that there is more than just responsibility for the other. What does it mean when one say that I cannot be a true I without the Thou? Rather than simply restating the obvious, this statement proposes two things. First, "I" is responsible towards himself as "I". Secondly, I's relationship with thou is self-revelation, a discovery. In some way, I-Thou is really a personal journey near each other, each in his own different way but under one aim and goal.
I am responsible for myself.
It is not simply a statement that speaks of "I" as the logical beginning before "thou". It is a movement that has "I" as the basic foundation of relationships. I cannot love without knowing how to love myself. In order to live in love, I must know how to love myself—that decision to enjoy who I am and who I want to be. I cannot love when I hate myself. One cannot give what he does not have. I must throw away grudge to make room for love. When we say that I am responsible to myself, it means I must constantly keep a healthy outlook in life, be positive, be responsive, and be me learning and discovering. This connotes acceptance and respect to who I am. If the "I" learns to accept his situation, letting go of all the complaints to rest in comfortable contentment, he gains all that makes him a true "I". What obstructs man to be truly MAN is the thought that he lacks many things, that he is incompetent, and that he is so incapable of many things unlike others. When one rest on these thoughts, he is left to let go of what for him does not matter any longer—his treasures, in fact. To realize one's true potential, he must be eager to seek it, he must be eager to move beyond the dark walls of impossibility. He must have that enjoying spirit to search himself in this wide world of wonders. His search is not a constant longing to what he does not have but a constant discovery of who he is—a journey of uncovering one's potential than judging one's uniqueness. To realize and accept one's goodness as different from others is already a foundational event to start a joyous trek of "I-thou."
My discovery taught me something.
No one can really say that he can live alone. We always need someone—to keep us sane, if not warm-hearted. Our experience with each other is always a reminder of who we are—our reaction, impulses, whims are all part of it. "Thou" is also a mirror of who we choose to be. In that choice, he mould ourselves to the man we want to be. Our everyday encounter with many "thous" is always a discovery or a reminder of who we are, and behind that edifice is the whisper of who we want and choose to be. Our experiences led us to our wants and choices made our experiences.
In the discovery of ourselves, we are not simply left to affirm these discoveries and do nothing about them. Our discovery may something be bad or good. After realizing which is which, we are told that good always seek to build while bad destroys. With this, we must continue with goodness and then find means to change what is bad. We can only fulfil this if we realize how much we owe our reflections from the experiences we derived from others. Because of the other, we learned and we changed or it may also be the other way around.
The "I-thou" relationship is also a trek of discovery where we ought to choose to grow, not alone, but with the other.
To end this paper, let me briefly summarize the points we pondered.
First, no man is an island. He is always involved. Therefore he has a responsibility with the other.
Second, I have the power to contribute.
Third, I am responsible with my actions.
Lastly, I come to realize who I truly am with the other. I give them my discovery as they try to discover more of mine.
We end this paper with the hope that someday we may learn more about the philosophy of Buber and truly apply them in our life. This paper is calling us to remain aware of the truths that we hold. We must not take each other for granted. We must learn to choose well and decide with accountability. We pray that we may truly learn to apply this philosophy in our life.
(ST. VINCENT FERRER SEMINARY, MARTIN BUBER CLAN. Naissance of True and Pure Relationships. FOUNDERS: Ronie Marianito Lobaton, Jeffrey Ballaret. AFFILIATES: Anere Calamcaman, Norman Roy Radaza, Antonio Miguel Tamayo, Ronel Tumabiao, Ildefonso Cachuela, Jr., Ivory Pan, Fremar Silva, Eric John Vargas, Bryan Paul Espinosa, Vergilio Tolentino, Jr., Ricky Gubac, Gisle John Jastia)