I was excited to find an old copy of Encounter with Martin Buber by Aubrey Hodes (1975) in a small second hand bookstore during my visit to England. I think the sign of a good philosopher is their words having continued relevance. "All conflict is "I do not say what I mean, and that I do not do what I say." (p35) "A man must realize that these conflicts between himself and others are nothing but the results of conflicts in his own soul. And the only way out of this, Buber urges, is through the crucial realization that "Everything depends on myself. I will straighten myself out." (p35) "Responsibility towards the world with which you want to establish a re;ationship of I-Thou, of meeting, begins with inner awareness of your deeper self and responsibility to yourself. If you transform yourself, you can transform that part of the world which surrounds you."(p35) "...dialogue is possible if people who are genuinely trying to converse, listen not only to what is said but also to what is felt without having been expressed in words. For me this is what I mean by religion not removing oneself into another world, but responding to the call that comes into your everyday life. Above all listening to both the silent and the spoken voices when one man speaks to another, so that together they can remove the barrier between two human beings." (p19) And finally... when talking about politics, Buber describes the existence of two parties- the majority and the minority. The majority seek power and are concerned with momentary advantage and tactics. They may lose sight of moral and human values. The minority are devoted to long-range values and a cherished vision of the future. They provide ideological correction and must be backed up by essential acts of resistance. Mmmm I can't help think about the recent elections in America.....
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"Let's take the opportunity to find something beautiful in the unknown, in the unpredictable. And even in the awful" Alyssa Monks (2016)"Here's what I learned. We're all going to have big losses in our lives, maybe a job or a career, relationships, love, our youth. We're going to lose our health, people we love. These kind of losses are out of our control. They're unpredictable and they bring us to our knees. And so I say "Let them. Fall to your knees. Be humbled. Let go of trying to change it. Or even wanting it to be different. It just is. And then there's space and in that space feel your vulnerability. What matters most to you. Your deepest intention. Be curious to connect to what and who is really here. Awake and alive; it's what we all want. Let's take the opportunity to find something beautiful in the unknown, in the unpredictable. And even in the awful" I cried and cried when I watched this. I cried because it made me think about my dad and his cancer. I cried because I am afraid he is going to die and there is nothing I can do about it. I cried because I don't want him to die. I cried because I don't want to see him in pain, in discomfort and losing his hair. I cried because I don't like to see him not enjoying his food because I know this is one of his comforts and passions. I cried because I feel guilty this is happening to him and not me. I cried because I moved away and each time I don't know when I am going to see him again. I cried because I don't know if I will see him again. I cried because I can't do anything about it and I want to save him. I cried because I want to stop it and make it go away. I cried because I related to what she said. I cried because I have enjoyed the moments of "just being" with my dad; watching TV, doing a jigsaw puzzle, eating crumpets and whiskey marmalade, trying to figure out the damn cable BT TV, Damn you BT TV. Mostly I cried because I am sad that my dad is ill and I don't want him to be. |
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